Bhagavad-gītā 13.17
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम्।भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च।।13.17।।
avibhaktaṁ cha bhūteṣhu vibhaktam iva cha sthitam bhūta-bhartṛi cha taj jñeyaṁ grasiṣhṇu prabhaviṣhṇu cha
Impartible, yet It exists as if divided in beings: It is to be known as sustaining beings; and devouring, as well as generating (them).
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| avibhaktam | indivisible |
| cha | although |
| bhūteṣhu | amongst living beings |
| vibhaktam | divided |
| iva | apparently |
| cha | yet |
| sthitam | situated |
| bhūta-bhartṛi | the sustainer of all beings |
| cha | also |
| tat | that |
| jñeyam | to be known |
| grasiṣhṇu | the annihilator |
| prabhaviṣhṇu | the creator |
| cha | and |
Use the word map to follow the relation among avibhaktam (indivisible), bhūta-bhartṛi (the sustainer of all beings), and cha (and). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the field, its knower and the supreme knower. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 13.17.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Distinguish field, individual knower, Supreme knower, knowledge and knowable while noting this edition’s 35-verse numbering.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Impartible, yet It exists as if divided in beings
- 2
It is to be known as sustaining beings
- 3
and devouring, as well as generating (them)
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture field and knower.
Link
Use the line starts: avibhaktaṁ cha / bhūta-bhartṛi cha.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 13.17, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 13.17 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 13.17 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 13.17 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 13.17, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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