The body-mind system is made of many observable parts.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
महाभूतान्यहंकारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च |इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः ||१३-६||
mahābhūtānyahaṃkāro buddhiravyaktameva ca . indriyāṇi daśaikaṃ ca pañca cendriyagocarāḥ ||13-6||
Use this verse for body-mind mapping.
Meaning
The great elements, ego, intellect, the unmanifest, the ten senses and the mind, and the five objects of the senses.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna begins listing the parts of the field.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The field includes not only the physical elements but also ego, intellect, mind, senses, and sense objects. This helps people see personality and experience as observable components, not the final self.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now itemises the field. With the precision of the Sankhya system, he lists the constituents of nature that make up every embodied being: the five great elements (mahabhutas), the ego-sense (ahankara), the discriminating intellect (buddhi), and the unmanifest matrix of nature (avyakta) from which all forms emerge.
To these he adds the eleven instruments — the five senses of perception, the five of action, and the mind — together with the five sense-objects they engage.
What is striking is how comprehensive yet impersonal this inventory is. Everything we usually call 'myself' — even the ego and the intellect — is catalogued here as part of the field, the known. None of it is the knower.
By calmly naming these components, Krishna helps us loosen our grip on each one, seeing them as instruments of nature rather than the core of our being. The body-mind is revealed as a finely organised mechanism we observe, not our true identity.
In daily life
Observe mind, senses, and ego as components of the field.
When ego feels hurt, a person can observe ego as one part of the field, not the whole self.
Try this today
Name one active component of your field today.
I observe the parts of my field with clarity.Reflect
Which field component is strongest in me today: senses, mind, ego, or intellect?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘महाभूतानि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on sankhya, in other chapters
- Verse 18.13Understanding the many factors behind every action dissolves the ego's claim to be the sole doer.
- Verse 7.4Even your mind, intellect, and ego belong to Nature — you are the awareness witnessing them, not the instruments themselves.
- Verse 15.5Inner freedom from pride, craving, and the swing of pleasure and pain leads to the imperishable state.
- Verse 16.4Pride, anger, and pretense are not random faults but the predictable fruit of spiritual ignorance and self-absorption.
Swipe left for 13.7 · Emotions are field-modifications, not your deepest identity.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.6
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.6, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.6, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.6 mean?
The great elements, ego, intellect, the unmanifest, the ten senses and the mind, and the five objects of the senses. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.6 for daily life?
Observe mind, senses, and ego as components of the field. When ego feels hurt, a person can observe ego as one part of the field, not the whole self.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.6 mean?
महाभूतानि — the great elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether); अहंकारः — egoism, the I-sense; बुद्धिः — intellect; अव्यक्तम् एव च — and the unmanifested (primordial nature); इन्द्रियाणि दश एकम् च — the ten senses and the one (mind).
Where does verse 13.6 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 6 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.7.