As a contrast to this deluded sorrowful “Knower-of-the-Field,” Purusha, there is the Pure Spirit uncontaminated by the “Field.” The moon in the bucket is the reflected moon and for every reflection that dances with the conditionings of the reflecting surface, there must be a real object. The reflection is always conditioned by the reflecting medium while the object reflected is never contaminated by the changes in the reflecting surface. It is completely independent of all conditions.

The “Knower-of-the-Field” is “Knowledge” or Conscious-ness conditioned by the “Field.” Naturally, therefore, there must be a Knowledge, in fact totally unconditioned, which appears conditioned, when it plays in the realm of its conditionings.

Thus, in this stanza, Krishna mentions for the purpose of his scientific analysis and investigation, two Purushas; the LOWER, which has already been described and indicated as the “Knower-of-the-Field,” and the HIGHER, which is the Pure Consciousness unconditioned by Prakriti. Both of them function “in this body.”

This Supreme Self is indicated in tems of what it looks like in Its silent manifestations when the matter equipments (Prakriti) are weaving their different patterns. When an individual is completely deluded and totally unconscious of the Self, in and through him the Infinite Divine expresses Himself as though He is only an “onlooker” (Upadrashtaa); that is to say when a person murders an innocent victim, the Infinite All-powerful Lord expresses through that criminal’s vehicle only as a silent spectator of it all (Upadrashtaa). When proper actions are undertaken, the mind is in a quiet mood. When the individual actor is not totally forgetful of the Self, in such a being, the Supreme expresses Himself as a “Permitter” (Anumantaa).

When proper actions are done with full consciousness of the Self and in a spirit of total surrender to the Lord, the Lord is the “fulfiller” (Bhartaa). Such actions are filled with success by His grace. He aids, as it were, the fulfilment of all such activities.

When, with entire dedication unto Him the individual is completely a Yoga-Yuktah, in his Eternal Conscious nature (Nitya Chaitanya Swaroopa), It seems to be the very “enjoyer” (Bhoktaa). The stanza concludes by saying that the great Ishwara, the Lord of Lords (Maheshwara) is the Higher Self in this very same body.

HOW DOES THE ONE WHO KNOWS THE HIGHER SELF, UNCONDITIONED BY THE “FIELD,” REACT IN LIFE?

He who is the upadrasta, Witness, who while staying nearby does not Himself become involved: As when the priests and the performer of a sacrifice remain engaged in duties connected with the sacrifice, there is another (called Brahma) remaining nearby who is unengaged, is versed in the science of sacrifices and witnesses the merit or demerit of the activities of the priest and the performer of the sacrifice, similarly, He who is not engaged in the activities of and is different from the body and organs, who has characteristics other than theirs, and is the proximate (upa) observer (drasta) of the body and organs engaged in their duties, is the upa-drasta. Or: The observers are the body, eyes, mind, intellect and the soul. Of them the body is the external observer. Proceeding inwards from that (body), the Self is the inmost as also the proximate observer, compared with which there is no other higher and inner observer. The Self, because of being the most proximate observer, is the upadrasta. Or, It is the upadrasta since, like the non-looker of a sarifice, It witness everything. And He is the anu-manta, Permitter: Anumananam, approval, means satisfaction with those performers (viz body and organs) as also their perfomances. The agent of that (approval) is the anumanta. Or, He is the anumanta since, even though Himself not engaged in the activities of the body and organs, He appears to be favourably disposed towards and engaged in them. Or, He is the anumanta because, when the body and organs are engaged in their own functions, He remains as a witness and never dissuades them. It is the bharta, Sustainer: Bharanam means the continuance in their own state of the body, organs, mind and intellect, which reflect consciousness and have become aggregated owing to the need of serving the purpose [Viz enjoyment, or Liberation.-Tr.] of some other entity, viz the conscious Self. And that (continuance) is verily due to the consciousness that is the Self. In this sense the Self is said to be the Sustainer. It is the bhokta, Experiencer: As heat is by fire, similarly, the experiences of the intellect-in the form of happiness, sorrow and delusion in relation to all objects-, when born as though permeated by the consciousness that is the Self, are manifested differently by the Self which is of the nature of eternal Consciousness. In this sense the Self is said to be the Experiencer. He is maheswarah, the great God, because, as the Self of all and independent, He is the great Ruler. He is paramatma, the transcendental Self, because He is the Self which has the characteristics of being the supreme Witness etc. of (all) those-beginning from the body and ending with the intellect-which are imagined through ignorance to be the indwelling Self. He is api ca, also; uktah, spoken of, referred to, in the Upanisads; iti, as, with the words; ‘He is the indwelling One, the paramatma, the transcendental Self.’ [Ast reads atah in place of antah. So the translation of the sentence will be: Therefore He is also referred to as the transcendental Self in the Upanisads.-Tr.] Where is He? The parah, suprem; purusah, Person, who is higher than the Unmanifest and who will be spoken of in, ‘But different is the supreme Person who is spoken of as the transcendental Self’ (15.17); is asmin, in this; dehe, body. What has been presented in, ‘…also understand Me to be the Knower of the field’ (2), has been explained and conclude.