As ether, air, fire, water and earth gather mass (transformational change of Ether into gross substances) and become progressively grosser, they acquire progressively more qualities. Ether has five forms of motion. Ether moves everywhere unobstructed and makes it possible for other forces to work in its realm. When motion into space takes place, Vayu (air) is born and being heavier than ether, it propagates sound. When motion and expansion take place upwards, it becomes fire and is seen and felt. When motion takes place downward giving rise to contraction (precipitation) it becomes water that is seen, touched and tasted in space.  When there is obstruction in motion, cohesion, agglutination, aggregation or sedimentation takes place giving rise to earth in space which is seen, touched, tasted and smelled. These are the five forms of matter: etheric (sarva vyapi, all- pervading; Nirupa, formless), aerial (Vayava), fiery (Prakasa and Tapa), fluid (Tarala and Calanasila) and solid (Ghana, Drdha, Samghata and Kaathinya--dense, fastened, joined and hard).  When primordial clouds condense, they become matter, stars, planets that we see, says the modern science.

According to Samkhya, the eye is only a peripheral organ and the visual cortex in the brain is the organ of sight; the same rule applies for hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. The sensory input from all the peripheral sites are processed in their respective brain centers and presented to the manas or the mind. Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic Ahankāra processes information, and buddhi takes the product to Purusa. Purusa is the king and gives orders to buddhi, which in turn orders the mind to activate the motor response: The mind instructs the motor organs to carry out the orders. Instinctive Manas, ahankāra, and buddhi form a unit known as Citta or antakarana or inner organ. Ahankāra (ego) in its three colors is conceited and Rajasic, deluded and Tamasic, or virtuous and Sattvic. Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas colors buddhi too, and its response is according to the dominance of one of these three gunas.

Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas gunas rule the world, both sentient and the insentient. The transcendental Lord, Vishnu is beyond these three gunas. Yogamāyā of the Lord, the barrier between the Lord and the material world, is the external energy, from which Mahatatva and Ego take their origin.

Ego gives rise to the first five elements: the sky or ether (its subtle form is sound), the air, the fire, the water and the earth. The sense perception started with sound, later went on to hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell. The objects that produce these sense perceptions, namely sky, air, fire, water, and earth also evolved alongside. The sensory organs that perceive these senses originate from the five elements.

Nose exists for smell (and for breathing–prāna); if there is no smell or prāna, there is no need for a nose. Naturally, smell or prāna existed first, before nose came. Sound existed first before the auditory apparatus came into being. The elements that produce these sensations such as smell come into existence alongside the senses. There are three parts to this equation. The subtle, nonspecific and finer elements are the sound, touch, vision, taste, and smell, all collectively called five tan-matras. Intermediate components are what travel between the subtle and the gross elements in a downstream fashion. That phenomenon is experience created by the infinitesimal particles. The corresponding gross components are ether, air, fire, water, and earth. The relationship between the five sense organs and the tanmatras is horizontal, while the relationship between the finer and the gross components is vertical.

13.7:  Humility, nonostentation (Adambhitvam), nonviolence, patience, straightforwardness, service to Ācārya, purity, steadfastness, self-restraint, (continued)

13.8:  aversion towards sense objects, absence of egoism, having insight into the suffering related to birth, death, old age, disease, sorrow (continued) 

Ego, Id and Superego form the personality. Ego in Latin means "I". 

Id, based on “ancestry, heredity and environment” and called Prārabda karma, which is not under our control, is what the infant is born with. Sprouting seed karma is what it is:  Prārabda Karma is in resolution or sprouting. It is in motion and it cannot be stopped: It is like the potter's wheel, it spins even after the external force ends, and it stops once the momentum is spent. It is like the discharged arrow from the bow: It is too late to stop the arrow in midflight. The archer has no control over it once the arrow leaves the bow; it cannot be stopped until the momentum is spent. You have to bite this bullet (of Prārabda karma). It is congenital and knowledge of Brahman cannot destroy it. There is no prevention or cure for this: It has to be resolved or lived. That means one has to eat the bad and the good fruits of Prarabdha karma.

Libido energizes Id according to Freud. This libido is Prāna in Veda. Id in a vacuum is instinctive, its reactions are reflex jerks, and it has to be controlled.

Id is the basis, on which EGO is built: Ego is a dynamic process, by which the personality is built on the framework of Id, while it is in contact with the external reality. Id’s operating principle is pleasure principle, to ensure maximum pleasure and minimal frustration to the individual. Reality Principle is fulfillment of instinctual needs through dynamic process of awareness and adjustment to environment. Ego always tries to satisfy the reflex jerks of the Id, but Superego tries to modify the reflex jerks in behavior or response. Id tries to make the best out of a good or bad situation, in the context of I-consciousness, and Mine-ness. Ego has its own standards: ego ideal, which is dictated by external reality.

Superego is the conscience of the individual, which has the modulating influence on one’s satisfaction of needs according to one’s moral values. The societal norms and the prevailing environment to a certain extent dictate this superego. Under the influence of superego, the Id's instinctive reflex reactions can be modified, postponed, deferred, and sublimated. All of the Id, much of the ego and the superego are unconscious. Part of the ego and the superego sitting on top of them are at a conscious level. These three components are like an iceberg floating at an angle, where the Id is completely submerged, but only part of the ego and the superego are seen above the water level or consciousness.

There are three states of consciousness or awareness: the Conscious, the Preconscious, and the Unconscious one below the other. (More later on Superconsciousness.) The conscious state is general awareness and thoughts and remains on the surface. The Preconscious state is under the surface and is the warehouse of information that we can recall at moment’s notice: such as name of a person. Below that, the unconscious state is a repository of lost, suppressed, repressed, preverbal, infantile thoughts, ideas and experiences, and (do not get jolted) possibly memories from the previous lives. All of  Id, a good deal of ego and superego are unconscious or under the water level or below conscious level and that is why some of our reactions to situations are automatic and unexplainable, unless we make a conscious effort to react to it in a conscious manner. Id plays a role in the dream sleep experiences. Pleasure principle is modified according to reality principle, superego, and ego ideal.

Id and ego are Ahankāra. The superego and the ego ideal are the buddhi illumined by Purusa, assuming that Sattva is the dominant mode in buddhi. Here manas (mind) takes order from buddhi. If Tamas is the dominant mode of the Superego and ego ideal, you have an antisocial being. Part of this id is accumulations of vāsanās (smell, tendencies, or impressions) left from previous transmigrations of the soul. That is the reason it is subject to karma (ancestry and heredity). If an infant can inherit genes from parents, why should not that infant inherit the vāsanās (tendencies or impressions) from previous births? 

Self-image, self-worth, self-respect, I-ness, and mine-ness, egotism (vanity), you-ness (altruism):

According to Vedas, Self-image, Self-worth, self-respect, and you-ness must supersede I-ness and mine-ness for establishing dominance of self over the body, welfare of the world, and liberation or moksa of the individual.

Eastern thoughts:

Vivekananda says there are many kinds of consciousness: subconsciousness, consciousness, and superconsciousness. Subconsciousness is instinct seen in animals; it is hardwired, automatic, and reflex, 100 percent reliable, foolproof, and not reason-based; so, a bird knows instinctively the wherewithal to build a nest without being taught. On the other hand, the consciousness is ruled by reason and less instinctive. Errors are more often seen here than in those with the instinctive knowledge. It is a higher state of mind, seen only in human beings. Yogis possess a still higher state of consciousness known as superconsciousness. It is cultivated, and beyond the ordinary human range: One has to go beyond reason, and beyond consciousness, because that knowledge is beyond hearing, beyond what is heard, and beyond thought; it is revealed wisdom. By this superconsciousness, man becomes divine and free; he gains immortality, and his bondage is torn asunder. Instinct matures into reason and reason matures into Superconsciousness or Samādhi in the yogi. Some yogis acquired imperfect superconsciousness, experienced hallucinations without a full preparation for the state of a yogi, and received faulty revealed wisdom with superstitions. Elsewhere, you will find notes on yogi and samādhi.

Ahankāra has this automated unthinking reflex response to external stimuli and the manas is instinctive and not intuitive or discerning (here manas, the mind is not the same as west perceives), but it is matter, lacking thinking ability unless it is yoked with buddhi and Purusa. (It is like a chip not connected to a power source.) Before the manas acts on these external stimuli, they pass through the ego factor of I-ness, buddhi applies its sattvic filter and then come the actions from manas. As you see, the manas, ahankāra, and buddhi form a unit: Citta, the command and control center of the body or antahkarana (the inner organ). Buddhi is the modulator of response and therefore is the moderator and inherits Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas from Prakriti. The yogi gets rid of the Tamas and Rajas. Once Tamas disappears, darkness dissipates and buddhi becomes clear and translucent as water; then with the fall of Rajas, agitation is gone and stillness prevails. With the clarity and composure, and the turbidity removed, buddhi shows by its reflective mirror purusa in its self-luminous state, standing aloof from the hustle and bustle of prakriti (matter). Of course, you have to be a yogi to get to that stage.

13.9:  detachment; absence of attachment to son, wife, home; constant equilibrium on attainment of the desirable and the undesirable; (continued)

A monk goes beyond desire to seek the Self. Brahman is the unborn Self. Knowing Him is all that we need to know. The Brahmanas seek to know Brahman by the study of Vedas, rituals, fasting, sacrifice, gifts, penance, and pilgrimage. On knowing Him, one uplifts oneself to be an ascetic. Monks wander looking for Brahman, and want not anything else in this world. Since the monks know this, they desire not for sons. Desire for sons is desire for wife, home, and wealth. The sage says, “What am I going to do with sons?” (Extract from Brhad Upanishad 4.4.22.) According to some modern psychologists, man wants to immortalize himself in this universe by leaving a progeny. It is the opposite for a monk; there is no immortality through wealth (and sons). (Brhad Upanishad 4.5.3.) Perpetuation in this physical world in the form of progeny is time away from seeking Brahman for the monk or the sage; seeking Brahman is antithetical to seeking wealth for the Sage.

    Take for instance Mother Teresa. She took a vow of Chastity, poverty, Obedience and Enclosure. She forsake a vow of mundane ubiquitous married life at 18 years of age and switched to that of bride of Christ. Her call came when she was only a 12 year old girl.

Husband, wife, sons (and daughters), wealth, cattle, Brahmana, Ksatriya, gods, Vedas, and beings are dear, not for their own sake, but for the sake of Self in them. When their respective nature deserts or dies, each entity has only the all-pervasive Self. Brhad Upanishad 4.5.7. When people say, “I like you as you are,” they should mean that they like the Self in you, not you as a body, mind, wealth... That Self is the same in everybody.

13.10 Dedicated concentration and unswerving devotion to Me having no other refuge, resorting to solitary places, discomfort in the midst of people.

3.11:  Constancy in the attainment of the knowledge of the Supreme Self, and insight into the knowledge of the Truth are (declared) the knowledge, and that which is otherwise is non-knowledge.

13.12:  I will explain to you that by knowing which one gains the nectar of immortality. That beginningless Supreme Brahman is neither Sat nor Asat.

Sat and Asat were explained elsewhere. (See Chapter 9 Verse 19 Comments, Yoga of Sovereign Knowledge and Sovereign Secret.) A note on Sat and Asat or Being and Non-Being or Existence and Non-Existence. These words are confusing. How could you get something out of nothing? Asat is subtle and unmanifested; Sat is gross and manifested. What you do not see does not mean that such and such does not exist. An example is in order here. Water exists in humidity and when condensation takes place, you see water. Water is hydrogen and oxygen, two unseen substances: When Prāna (energy) is applied to hydrogen and oxygen water becomes "manifest". If you go back to the origin of hydrogen and oxygen, you go back to Ether or Akāsa, the stem substance. Asat is a state where names and forms are in hiding and are waiting for expression, where names and forms are mere thoughts, and where the potentialities and possibilities exist: Asat is undifferentiated, latent and unmanifest, while Sat is manifest. According to Sankara, Brahman is neither Asat nor Sat. He is Avyakta – the unmanifested. He is a homogeneous entity and through enzymatic inductive māyā power, this heterogeneous universe and beings are projected or superimposed on Brahman. 

13.13:  Everywhere hands and feet; everywhere eyes, heads and faces; everywhere ears:  He exists pervading everything.

सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् ।

सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ॥१३- १३॥

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādam tat sarvataḥ akṣi-śiraḥ-mukham
sarvataḥ śruti-mat loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati 13.13

(Āvritya: covering, pervading.)

He is the embodiment of all living entities and therefore in this form, he is all eyes, ears, faces and all things. All entities are in this manifest form. In His unmanifest form, He is Param Brahman; He is silence; He is Pure Consciousness.

13.14:  He is the light of all Indriyas and gunas; He is also the abstainer from Indriyas. He is unattached to anything; He is the supporter of all. He is devoid of any gunas and yet enjoys the senses.

Ābhāsam: light, splendor

Indriyas are the senses. Gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. He is the force or light behind the senses, enjoys the senses, and yet is not of the senses. He is Nirguna Brahman, unalloyed by the Gunas of Prakriti. He moves without foot, He grasps without hand, He sees without eyes, He hears without ears. He knows all that is to be known; of Him, no one knows. (Svetāsvatra Upanishad 3.19.)  

Kena Upanishad (1.2-3) says that Brahman is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of the speech, the breath of the breath, the eye of the eye, the wisdom in the aspirant. If it were not for the Eternal Reality, the Indriyas (senses) would not function.

Brahman, the Eternal Real, is where the eye, the speech, and the mind do not go. It means that Brahman is beyond comprehension and perception by senses such as the mind, the speech and the eye. Brahman is without eyes, but sees; the eyes see not Brahman; He is beyond the senses. 

13.15: What is outside and inside all beings, and in the moving and the unmoving is too subtle (fine, minute, or small) for apprehension. That, which is near and yet is far away, is That.

Brhad Upanishad 2.5.15:

This Self is the Lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As the hub and the rim of a wheel hold the spokes together, so the hub of Self holds together all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these selves (jivatmas).  

 Trying to understand Brahman is impossible. Any assertions or attributes, one tries to add on Him, are met with frustration. Consider the following apparent contradictions: He sits here and moves far. He is lying here but goes everywhere. He rejoices and rejoices not. Katha Upanishad 1.2.21. Sankara asserts that Brahman is silence and stability in Nirguna Brahman. Ramanuja asserts that He is splendor in His form as Isvara.

13.16: He is undivided and yet He appears divided in all beings. He is the supporter of the world, also the object of knowledge, swallowing and creating also (of beings).

gras-ana-ishnu: accustomed to swallow, dissolution of the universe.

The Greater Self is present in the spiritual heart of every living being. Therefore, it appears divided, but not actually divided. It is like the luminous sun and its many reflections in the water; it is like one space with many jars of space. Similarly, One Brahman appears as many in all beings and as One in each being. The Brahman is like the sun and each one of us is like a little mirror reflecting the image of the sun: Brahman is One and undivided, but appears divided. God, Brahman, or Self is like the oil in the sesamum seeds, water in the dry riverbeds, latent fire in the friction sticks and wood, fragrance in the flower, and gold in the reef of gold.

13.17:  He (that) is the light of all lights. He is beyond Tamas (darkness and delusion). He is the knowledge. He is the object of knowledge. He is the knowledge worthy of knowing. He stands firm in the hearts of all, so goes the saying

Purusam Mahāntam Āditya-varnam Tamasah parastāt = The Supreme Person of Sun color is beyond darkness (SvetāsvataraUpanishad 3.8)  

13.18: Thus, the field, also knowledge, and the object of knowledge were briefly recited. My devotee, by understanding their wisdom, enters My own nature or state of Being.

13.19:  Know that Prakriti and Purusa are both without beginning; know also that Vikārān and gunas (transformation and modes) are born of Prakriti.   

Vikārān: transformation, modification. Gunas: modes or attributes.

Vishnu the supreme being, is one, whilst he is all: He is Avikára («Å¢¸¡Ãý) , not subject to change; Sadaikarúpa, one invariable nature: he is the liberator (tára), or he who bears mortals across the ocean of existence: He is both single and manifold (ekánekarúpa = Eka-aneka-rupa = one-many-forms): and He is the indiscrete (avyakta அவ்வியத்தம்  = that which is not perceptible to the senses = unmanifest) cause of the world, as well as the discrete (vyakta =  Å¢Âò¾õ = That which is perceptible to the senses = manifest) effect; or the invisible cause, and visible creation.

Achyuta = அச்சுதன் =  Not Fallen. A in Achyuta is privative. Chyuta is Fallen. Thus Achyuta (Vishnu) is Not Fallen. He is Imperishable Being.  It also means that He is not distinct from final emancipation. It signifies that He is free from decay. Skanda Purana says that Vishnu never declines or varies from His own nature.

Vishnu is Supreme, the Best (Uttamam = ¯ò¾Áõ = That which is preeminent or excellent), Spirit (Purusha = ÒÕ¼ý), Male, Sacrifice, Moksha Dharma.

He is Vasudeva. Vas = To dwell. He abides in all things; all things abide in Him. Deva is radiance, resplendent like the sun.

Samkhya philosophy says that Pradhana (À¢Ã¾¡Éõ) is independent and coordinate (of equal importance) with Primary Spirit.

Vishnu is SadasadAtmika (Sat-Asat-Atmika =  ºòÐ-«ºòÐ-¬òÁ¢¸õ = What Is-What is Not-Soul, comprehending soul = having the power of both cause and effect, giving origin to material things. Because of it, He does not increase or diminish; He is changeless. He is Anadi («É¡¾¢ = without beginning = without birth = Not engendered from by any created thing). He is the Womb of the world, self-influenced by the Creator that is Himself.

The world is made from Purusha and Pradhana (Prakrti = Matter). The Indiscrete Cause («Å¢Âò¾ ¸¡Ã½õ = Avyakta Karanam) is Brahma, Vishnu in the form of Brahma.

After Mahapralaya (Total Great Dissolution), the crude Matter, Nature, or Chaos becomes the coexistent element with the Supreme. Pradhana after dissolution merges with Vishnu. Alvars say that Vishnu swallows the universe of matter and souls. The elements of creation (that he contains after dissolution) are in essence one with Vishnu, though they are detached and different in existence. This speaks of the doctrine of difference-non-difference (Bheda-Abheda).

Pradhana in its unmodified state is Sattva, Rajas and Tamas in equilibrium, contained separately by the Spirit ( Purusha = Spirit). What brings this contained matter to become active and blossom out in to a visible universe of matter? Times after certain interval, unites Matter, Pradhana and Purusha and brings about creation. H.H.Wilson opines that Phanes or Eros is the Hindu Spirit or Purusha; Chaos is Matter or Pradhana; and Chronons is KAla or Time. Pradhana is Vyaya (வியயம்  = that which may be expended) or Parinamin (which may be modified). Purusha is Avyaya (அவ்வியயம் = Inconsumable) or Aparinamin (Immutable). Vishnu or Achyuta, the Male Spirit (Purusha) enters into Prakriti (also known as Maya) and implants Amsa ( Seed, tad or fragment) of Himself and agitates Pradhana or Prakriti. Time serves as an agent in the creation.  Sankocha (சங்கோசம் = contraction, equilibrium of three qualities) or Inert Pradhana undergoes Vikasa (விகாசம் = blooming, evolution) meaning blossoming out of the material universe (preceded by disequilibrium and agitation).

The first product after agitation and expansion (Vikasa) is Mahat (the Great or Intellect). Mahat is presided by the Soul. Ksetranjana = (Knower of the Field or embodied Spirit) is the cosmic equivalent of Buddhi (intellect).

Mahat is the divine mind in creative operation and incorporeal substance. Buddhi is derived from Mahat; from Buddhi comes Ahamkara (Aham + KAra = I + doer = Egotism =  I think, I feel, I am). Ahamkara has three subdivisions: Vaikarika or Satvika Ahamkara, infused with virtue and goodness. Taijasa or Rajasa Ahamkara has Tejas, heat, motion and passion. Butadi or Tamasa Ahamkara is elementary and has darkness. Sattvika Ahamkara gives rise to senses; from the Tamasika Ahamkara come the unconscious elements. Rajasa Ahamkara gives motion to the inert Sattvaika and Tamasa Ahamkaras. There are variations in the products and interpretation of these entities.

Janardhana, the one only God, takes the name of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva according to the needs and creates, maintains and destroys.  Janardhana = Jana + Ardhana = men + worship = the adoration of mankind.

13.20:   It is said that Prakriti is Kārya Kārana (cause of effect), instrument, and agency. The Purusa is said to be the cause of experience of pleasure and pain.

The thoughts expressed here are within the purview of Upanishads. Kārya Kārana = cause of effect. The cause is resident in the effect: Our bodies are the effect and prakriti is the cause. The instruments are the senses. Prakriti is also an instrument and agency and the Purusa is the cause of experience of pleasure and pain.

The individual soul is an agent of the Higher Soul or Atman. The individual soul is not only an agent but also the doer. Since the lesser soul is the doer, it is also an enjoyer and therefore experiences pleasure and pain. Since the lesser soul is an agent of the Higher Soul or the Supreme, the agent is under the control of the Higher Soul, which is responsible for the actions of the agent. So The Higher Soul is also an Enjoyer and Experiencer but with a difference. The experience of the doer, agent, and enjoyer does not affect HIM. Prakriti is the agency. Prakriti provides all products to the agent (to run his business or) for doing and experiencing. The products supplied by prakriti to the individual soul are body, buddhi, ahankāra, manas and Indriyas. Prakriti is also an instrument of the Owner of Prakriti, which is the Supreme Self.  Prakriti is the agency and is comparable to the commercial franchise. The franchise holder, that is the individual soul, takes all the gains and losses in this instance. The Supreme Self is Karta (Creator-Agent), because He is the Intelligence and the Owner of Prakriti. That which sets Prakriti in motion is the Real Agent. The products of Prakriti, as supplied by the Supreme to run the franchise or agency, become the instruments (buddhi, manas, ahankāra, senses etc.) of the individual soul. The individual soul is the doer, enjoyer and an agent, because “he is asked to take his instruments with him, while roaming and wandering in his own body.” Once the agent is deprived of his instruments namely buddhi etc., he is no longer an agent. His agency is dissolved. His body and instruments go back to Prakriti (matter). The Supreme has control over the agent. The released soul is either recycled in another body or finds its way to liberation, depending on his karma.

13.21:  Purusa situated in Prakriti certainly enjoys the gunas of Prakriti. Attachment to the gunas (modes) is the cause of birth of a being in good and evil wombs. 

Evil womb is a reference to animal womb. Evil is Tamas, darkness, impenetrable darkness of the soul; that is fall from grace of a human being, entirely caused by bad karmic deeds of previous life. There are many kinds of good wombs: the parents of Krishna, The Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa....

13.22:  The Mahā-Īsvara, the Great Ruler in the body is (said to be) the witness, the approver, the supporter, the enjoyer, the Supreme Self (Paramātmā) in the body, and the Supreme Purusa.

Anumantā:  the one who approves, assents, permits.

The Supreme Self resides in the spiritual heart of the body and is like the Upper Bird acting as a Witness, while the lower bird (individual self) is eating sweet and sour fruits. He is the Great Ruler of the body and the enjoyer too. He supports the lower self and the body, meaning the prakriti-based body. Here the Lord is also the Supreme knower of the body.

In all experiences, The Lord is the Primary Experiencer and we the secondary enjoyers or experiencers.  In The Uddhava Gita, Dialogue 11, Verse 36, Krishna says, "In the living, I am the movement, speech, rejection, acceptance, enjoyment, touch and sight, taste, hearing, and smell. I am that power by which the senses enjoy the objects of this world." Translation by Swami Saraswati.

13.23:  He who understands Purusa and Prakriti with the gunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), is never born again though existing in the present in all modes (any mode).

13.24:  By meditation, some see the Atman (The Greater Soul) in the self through intellect, others by the yoga of knowledge (Sānkhya yoga or Jnāna Yoga) and still others by Karma Yoga.

13.25:  But others worship, ignorant of these yogas (Jnāna and Karma), by hearing from others. They certainly go (across) beyond death by (leap of faith) trust in what they heard.

Even those who are ignorant of Jnāna and Karma yoga, worship Me according to what they heard from others: the Truth. They cross the ocean of samsāra (birth and death) and attain Me, having faith in Me from what they heard.

13.26:  Whatever comes into being, unmoving or moving, you must know that (it is by) the union of the ksetra and ksetrajna (field and the knower of the field).

13.27:  He who sees the imperishable Supreme Lord, residing equally in all perishable living entities, really sees.

13.28:  Seeing Isvara (Lord) equally abiding everywhere, he does not injure the (Greater) Self by the (individual) self, and then attains the Supreme goal.

Isvara is the resident in all beings and the controller of the individual self in all beings. The individual self that does not injure the Greater Self (the Lord) and considers the Greater Self as One and the same (equal and identical) in all beings, attains the Supreme goal: This is the basis for ahimsa or non-violence.

13.29:  He, who sees that Prakriti (nature) performs all activities, knows that the self is not the doer; he truly sees.

Prakriti is the cause, the agency and the instrument, and performs all activities. The individual self appears as the apparent doer because of avidya and karma (ignorance and prārabda karma), but it is not the real doer. The individual self or the soul's true function in this instance is that of a witness. (Elsewhere it is mentioned that the Greater Self is the Witness: He is the Universal Witness, the Witness of the witnesses.) Imagine a riotous situation, where the distinction between a spectator and the protester is lost. Both of them are arrested and the spectator is mistakenly labeled a protester. Because the individual soul or self is all wrapped up in kosas or sheaths originating from Prakriti, and of avidya and karma, it is mistakenly accused of doership.

  Sankara in his work Atma Bodham verse 19 says the following in line with Lord Krishna's statement on Prakriti and the organs.

13.30: When one sees that the individuality of all living beings abides in One, and that all living beings are expansions of One, he attains Brahma (realization) then.

When one knows that the individuality of diverse species of living beings centers on God, and originates from Him, he attains Brahman. A learned humble Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater are seen with an equal eye by a punditah (sage). BG Chapter 5 Verse 18.

That is because all beings are God's creatures. They all rise from Him and subside in Him. Brhad Upanishad 2.4.5: all beings are dear not for the sake of being(s) but for the sake of SELF (the Lord inside them).

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa kept his doors and heart open for all sincere seekers of God: doctors, lawyers, housewives, drunkards, prostitutes. (Think of Jesus Christ and his disciple Mary Magdalene.) To him all were children of Goddess Kali; in each one of them, he saw the Divine Mother playing hide-and-go-seek in their bodies and forms. Once Mother Goddess appeared as a well-known prostitute in the sanctum Sanctorum of the Kali temple, when no one was around. He said that Kali decided to sport the form of a prostitute that day, when he was the officiating priest in the temple.

13.31:  The imperishable (or immutable) Supreme Self is without beginning and attributes, though dwelling in the body, O Kaunteya; It neither acts nor stains.

अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः ।

शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते ॥१३- ३१॥

anāditvān nirguṇatvāt paramātmāyam avyayaḥ
śarīrasthopi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate 13.31

anāditvāt¹ nirguṇatvāt² paramātmā³ ayam⁴ avyayaḥ⁵
śarīrasthaḥ⁶ api⁷ kaunteya⁸ na karoti⁹ na lipyate¹⁰ 13.31

avyayaḥ⁵ = The immutable; paramātmā³ = Supreme Soul; [is] anāditvāt¹ = without beginning; [and] nirguṇatvāt² = without attributes; api⁷ = though; śarīrasthaḥ⁶ = dwelling in the body; kaunteya⁸ = O Kaunteya; ayam⁴ = [This] It; na karoti⁹ = neither acts; na lipyate¹⁰  = nor is stained. 13.31
 

nirguṇatvāt² = without Gunas. Ramanuja says Paramatma is 'free from Gunas', being devoid of Sattva and other Gunas of Prakrti,  It neither acts nor gets tainted; it is not tainted by the qualities of the body.

In Ramanuja's Srivaishnava theology, Brahman is not afflicted by Prakrtic Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. But it does not mean Brahman is attributeless; Ramanuja says as opposed to Advaitins that Brahman is NOT impersonal and has kalyana Gunas (auspicious attributes).

The Supreme Self is the Atman residing in the spiritual heart side by side with the individual self or jivātman. It is pristine, without beginning or end, imperishable, immutable, without attributes and unaffected by the Gunas, self-effulgent and remains as a Witness. We are like turbid waters; He devoid of the gunas is like clear water. The gunas stick on us but in Him the gunas or modes roll off like water from the surface of the Lotus leaf. He is like the sun and we are like the candles. He is stainless. He cannot be wetted.