Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 5

Chapter 13 – Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् ।
ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ॥

Transliteration

ṛṣibhirbahudhā gītaṃ chandobhirvividhaiḥ pṛthak .
brahmasūtrapadaiścaiva hetumadbhirviniścitaiḥ ॥

Meaning

This truth has been sung by the sages in many ways, separately in various Vedic hymns, and also in the well-reasoned and conclusive aphorisms that point to Brahman.

Word meanings

ऋषिभिः – by the sages
बहुधा – in many ways
गीतम् – sung, described
छन्दोभिः – by Vedic hymns (metres)
विविधैः – various
पृथक् – separately, distinctly
ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैः – by the aphoristic words concerning Brahman
च एव – and also
हेतुमद्भिः – full of reasoning
विनिश्चितैः – conclusive, well-ascertained

Anvaya (word order)

ऋषिभिः बहुधा विविधैः छन्दोभिः पृथक् गीतम्, हेतुमद्भिः विनिश्चितैः ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैः च एव (गीतम्) ।

Explanation

Krishna makes clear that what he is about to teach is no novelty but the distilled wisdom of an ancient tradition. The sages have sung it ‘in many ways’ and ‘in various hymns’ — across the many branches and mantras of the Veda — each expressing the same truth in its own idiom. The Gita thus anchors its teaching in the authority of shruti, the revealed scripture.

The phrase brahmasutrapadaih has been read in two notable ways. Shankara takes it to mean the words of the Upanishads that indicate Brahman — statements such as ‘one should meditate on it as the Self’ — which are both reasoned and decisive. Ramanuja and many other commentators see here a direct reference to the Brahma Sutras of Badarayana, the aphorisms that systematically establish the meaning of the Upanishads through argument. Either way the point is the same: this knowledge rests on both revelation and reason.

The adjectives hetumadbhih, ‘full of reasoning’, and vinishchitaih, ‘conclusive’, are worth noticing. The spiritual tradition the Gita represents does not ask for blind belief; it invites careful reasoning that arrives at firm conviction. Faith is needed, but it is meant to walk with discernment. Later tradition would call the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Gita together the prasthana-trayi, the three foundations of Vedanta, and this verse already gestures toward that triad.

Context

Having promised a brief account of the field and its knower, Krishna here names the authoritative sources that have taught it. In the next two verses he enumerates the constituents and modifications of the field.

Life lesson

Genuine knowledge stands the test of both tradition and reason. Respect the scriptures, but engage them with questions and discernment. What seems new is often the voice of the ancient seers speaking again.

Key terms

Rishi: A seer who directly perceives truth
Chandas: Here, Vedic hymns and the branches of the Veda
Brahma Sutra: Aphorisms on Brahman; Badarayana’s Vedanta Sutras
Prasthana-trayi: The Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Gita — the triple foundation of Vedanta