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38: Śramana, Vol 63, No. 3, July-Sep. 2012
soul, but the soul maintains its separate entity. It does not merge into Brahman or any Super entity as Vedanta holds. Verse 26 echoes the same sentiment when it says, "Those wise men who are free from lust and anger and who are in complete control of their mind and have realized ATMAN find oneness with the Absolute everywhere around him."
Chapter 13 is another chapter which directly propounds the Jain philosophical concepts. It is titled "Kṣetra-Kṣetrajña-vibhāga-Yoga" "kṣetra" means "field" and "kṣetrajña" means one who knows and understands this "field". During the course of our soul's journey on the path of spirituality one has to train his body which includes also our mind. Therefore this body is the field through which spiritual progress is to be made. If this is so, we should know how body and mind function. But who is the "knower"? The knower is our Soul20. Therefore, our spiritual journey requires full understanding of our body, mind and soul. Body and mind are identified by Jainism as "Ajiva" while Soul is identified as "Jīva". In this chapter they are referred as Kṣetra and Kṣetrajña. In this chapter therefore the author of Gita discusses how he soul progresses with the knowledge of its interaction with non-soul which is known as Ajiva- here identified as Kṣetra.
The main difference between Samkhya and Jainism is that while Samkhya contends that Puruşa (Soul) remains unaffected even though it supplies dynamism to Prakṛti, Jainism believes that as soul is the supplier of its dynamism it cannot remain aloof and unaffected by the result. But for this difference, the rest of the philosophical approach of both is the same. Thus the whole of the chapter 13 of Gita accepts the Jain approach.
References:
1. Indriyasyendriyasyarthe ragadveau vyavasthitau/ vaśamāgacchettau hṛsya
paripanthinaull
Tayorna Bhagavadgitā- 3.34
2. Evam buddheḥ param buddhvā saṁstbhyātmānamātmanā/ Jahi śatrum mahābāho kāmrūpaṁ durasadam// Bhagavadgītā-3.43
