The 13th chapter is about the discrimination between kshetra and kshetrajna.

Human life in its empirical form is kshetra or the field. Kshetrajna is the knower of the field. Within the field there is something that is not subject to modification – that is kshetrajna. It is the Atman, which is immanent, all-pervading and transcendental.

In this field, we sow seeds – our actions, thoughts and emotions are the seeds. They sprout with some results visible in this life and some in next life. This should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation.

Law of karma should not be thought of as determinism. Rather, it asks to own responsibility for our actions. Our actions produce two types of results: One that is tangible and immediate. Another, that is invisible (Adhrishtam). These results are Apoorvam – meaning they did not exist before the action.

Kshetra or the phenomenal world is constituted by 24 elements, as described in the 5th verse. These are Prakriti, Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The sixth verse adds seven other elements to kshetra - desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, body, intelligence and fortitude. With these, we live in the phenomenal world.

Within this material world is the divine spark, Kshetrajna. It is immanent in every being. All problems in the world arises because of we identify ourselves with the kshetra. The one who identifies himself as kshetrajna, as distinct from the field, he is able to understand the impermanent nature of the world and its problems.

The next few verses describe the spiritual qualities that one should practice to help discriminate between kshetra and kshetrajna.

The qualities described in the 7th and 7th and 8th verses are: (1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – his thoughts, words and deeds become one (3) Non-violence, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Detachment from sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life.

The 9th verse encourages us to be broad minded and look beyond our near and dear ones. Relationships become less spiritual when we become obsessed with our near and dear ones to the point of hating others.

What we know intellectually does not necessarily become our emotional attitude. Only through spiritual practices and reflection are we able to translate our intellectual conviction into our emotional attitude and spiritual common sense.

Shankaracharya says that in spiritual literature, whenever a list of characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person is provided, there is only one purpose. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.