Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 23

Chapter 13 – Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः ।
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ॥

Transliteration

upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ .
paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe.asminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ ॥

Meaning

The Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the witness, the one who permits, the supporter, the enjoyer, the Great Lord and the Supreme Self.

Word meanings

उपद्रष्टा – the witness who watches from close by
अनुमन्ता – the permitter, the one who consents
च – and
भर्ता – the supporter and sustainer
भोक्ता – the enjoyer, the experiencer
महेश्वरः – the Great Lord
परमात्मा – the Supreme Self
इति – thus
च अपि – also
उक्तः – is called
देहे – in the body
अस्मिन् – this
पुरुषः – Purusha, Person
परः – supreme, transcendent

Anvaya (word order)

अस्मिन् देहे परः पुरुषः उपद्रष्टा अनुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः परमात्मा इति च अपि उक्तः ।

Explanation

The previous verse showed the self seated in nature, bound by the gunas and taking birth again and again. Now Krishna reveals that in this same body there is also a para purusha, a Supreme Person, and gives him six names. He is upadrashta, the witness who watches from near, like a priest at a sacrifice who oversees every rite without performing it himself. He is anumanta, the permitter, without whose sanction nothing happens. He is bharta, the supporter of body, senses and mind. He is bhokta, the enjoyer; Maheshvara, the Great Lord; and Paramatma, the Supreme Self.

For Shankara this Supreme Purusha is none other than the knower of the field. Seen with limiting adjuncts it is called the individual self; known in its pure nature, free of them, it is the Supreme Self. The six names are roles, not separate beings. Ramanuja understands the para purusha as the Lord who is distinct from the individual soul, the inner controller who dwells within it and governs it, as the Antaryami passage of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad teaches. Madhva too sees the Supreme Person as Hari, eternally distinct from the soul, witness and ruler of its actions.

The famous image of the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.1) fits perfectly: two birds sit on the same tree; one eats the fruit, the other simply watches without eating. The eating bird is the self of the previous verse, seated in nature; the watching bird is this witness, the Paramatma.

The verse brings deep reassurance. We are never alone; within us there is always a witness and a sustainer. Chapter 18 (18.61) repeats that the Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings.

Context

Krishna is speaking to Arjuna. Verse 13.22 described the self seated in nature and bound by the gunas. This verse reveals the Supreme Person present in the same body, and 13.24 will state the fruit of this knowledge: freedom from rebirth.

Life lesson

A silent witness accompanies every thought and act of ours. Remembering this guards us both from loneliness and from wrongdoing. When we sense the presence of the indweller, life gains both trust and purity.

Key terms

Upadrashta: the close witness
Anumanta: the permitter, the one who sanctions
Bharta: the supporter and sustainer
Maheshvara: the Great Lord of all
Paramatma: the Supreme Self dwelling in all