Bhagavad-gītā 13.23
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
उपद्रष्टाऽनुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः।परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः।।13.23।।
upadraṣhṭānumantā cha bhartā bhoktā maheśhvaraḥ paramātmeti chāpy ukto dehe ’smin puruṣhaḥ paraḥ
And the Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the Looker-on, the Permitter, the Supporter, the Experiencer, the Great Lord, and the Highest Self.
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 |
|---|---|
| upadraṣhṭā | the witness |
| anumantā | the permitter |
| cha | and |
| bhartā | the supporter |
| bhoktā | the transcendental enjoyer |
| mahā-īśhvaraḥ | the ultimate controller |
| parama-ātmā | Superme Soul |
| iti | that |
| cha api | and also |
| uktaḥ | is said |
| dehe | within the body |
| asmin | this |
| puruṣhaḥ paraḥ | the Supreme Lord |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through upadraṣhṭā (the witness), parama-ātmā (Superme Soul), and puruṣhaḥ paraḥ (the Supreme Lord). 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 13.23.
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
And the Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the Looker-on, the Permitter, the Supporter, the Experiencer, the Great Lord
- 2
the Highest Self
- 3
upadraṣhṭā: the witness
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture field and knower.
Link
Use the line starts: upadraṣhṭānumantā cha / paramātmeti chāpy.
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 13.23, 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 13.23 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 13.23 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 13.23 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 13.23, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition