Life is the meeting of field and consciousness.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् |क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ ||१३-२७||
yāvatsañjāyate kiñcitsattvaṃ sthāvarajaṅgamam . kṣetrakṣetrajñasaṃyogāttadviddhi bharatarṣabha ||13-27||
Use this verse for reverence toward life.
Meaning
Whatever being is born, moving or unmoving, know it to arise from the union of the field and the knower of the field, O best of Bharatas.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Embodied life arises from the union of field and knower.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna explains embodied existence. A living being is not merely matter and not merely abstract consciousness; embodied life appears through the connection of field and knower.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna gives a sweeping cosmological insight: every being that comes into existence — whether immobile like plants and rocks or mobile like animals and humans — arises from the union (samyoga) of the field and its knower, of matter and consciousness. Neither alone produces a living being. Inert matter without consciousness is lifeless; consciousness without a field has no manifest form. Life springs from their coming together.
This universal principle quietly affirms the kinship of all creation. The same two ingredients compose every creature; the difference between a tree and a sage is only in the configuration of the field, not in the nature of the knower that animates it. Such a vision dissolves arrogance and nurtures reverence for all life, for every being is woven from the same sacred meeting of spirit and matter.
To perceive this union everywhere is to begin seeing the one consciousness shining, in greater or lesser clarity, through every form.
In daily life
Respect every living being as more than a body.
A person can treat animals, plants, and people with deeper reverence.
Try this today
Show respect to one living being today.
I honor consciousness in every life-form.Reflect
Do I see living beings as sacred combinations of body and consciousness?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सत्त्वम् स्थावरजङ्गमम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on reverence, in other chapters
- Verse 7.9The same divine life glows in every creature and fuels every sincere effort — let that recognition deepen your reverence.
- Verse 11.15 · ArjunaAll the powers and beings of creation, even the creator himself, abide within the one Divine.
- Verse 14.4All beings, in every form of life, share one universal mother and one divine father — which makes every creature kin.
- Verse 3.10Giving and contributing are woven into the design of life — live as part of the great cycle of offering, and your true needs are met.
Swipe left for 13.28 · Seeing God equally in all is true seeing.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.27
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.27, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.27, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.27 mean?
Whatever being is born, moving or unmoving, know it to arise from the union of the field and the knower of the field, O best of Bharatas. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.27 for daily life?
Respect every living being as more than a body. A person can treat animals, plants, and people with deeper reverence.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.27 mean?
यावत् सञ्जायते किञ्चित् — whatever being is born; सत्त्वम् स्थावरजङ्गमम् — the unmoving and the moving; क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात् — from the union of the field and its knower; तत् विद्धि — know that to be; भरतर्षभ — O best of the Bharatas (Arjuna).
Where does verse 13.27 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 27 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.28.