BG 13.1

 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 1 (13.1) is treated slightly differently across editions because some traditions count it as an introductory line and some begin directly with verse 13.2.

A commonly cited version of 13.1 is:

Arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava

Translation (simple):
Arjuna said: “O Krishna, I wish to understand prakriti (material nature), purusha (the conscious self), the field (kṣetra), the knower of the field (kṣetrajña), as well as knowledge and the object of knowledge.”

This verse introduces the core theme of Chapter 13: the distinction between:

• Kṣetra (the field) → the body, mind, and material existence
• Kṣetrajña (knower of the field) → consciousness / the self that experiences
• Prakriti → nature, matter, change
• Purusha → spirit, awareness

Some editions omit this as verse 13.1 and start with Krishna speaking in 13.2, due to manuscript differences.

If you want, I can also give the  Sanskrit, word-by-word meaning, and commentary for 13.1.

Dth. Big tleep into oblivion

 Even though we don't like to think about it, death is going to come no matter what, so we should learn how to stare it down. Remember that a death well handled is one of the surest signs of a life well lived.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Pollan. Thoughts are wisps of mentation

DMHC. I will be non reactive at home

GRS

 This passage is beautiful and closely connected to what you were saying about oneness and “knowing God.”

Here is a translation of the Hindi text:

“The Covering of the Gift”
(11 January 1996, Weggis, Switzerland)

All sensory pleasures of the world are like the outer wrapping of a gift; the true joy is the presence within.

The wise know how to enjoy the gift within; the ignorant become entangled in the outer wrapping.

Divine love itself is the gift, but we become trapped in the outer covering of the gift and think we have enjoyed the gift.

The whole world is for your joy, but do not get lost in it. Open the wrapping of the gift.

The spiritual point here is subtle:

• Outer wrapping = sensory pleasure, forms, objects, appearances
• Gift inside = divine presence, love, inner joy, truth
• The mistake is confusing the container for the essence.

This echoes both what Jesus says and what the Gita points toward:

• In Gospel of John 17:3, eternal life is to know God — not merely know about God.
• In Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita, devotion turns attention from outer distraction toward union with the Divine.

You could read this passage almost as saying: the world is the wrapping; Presence is the gift.

Or in Advaita language: the many forms are appearances; the One reality is what shines through them.

BG 12

 You’re likely referring to Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita — Bhakti Yoga (The Yoga of Devotion).

In this chapter, Arjuna asks Krishna a question that connects closely to what you’ve been asking about oneness / Advaita:

Which is better — devotion to a personal God, or meditation on the unmanifest Absolute?

Krishna replies that both paths can lead to the highest, but for most people, devotion to the personal divine is easier:

Those who fix their minds on Me with devotion are considered most united with Me.

But Krishna also says those who contemplate the formless, unmanifest reality can also reach Him — though that path is more difficult for embodied beings.

This chapter often gets read as a bridge between bhakti (devotion) and non-dual insight:

• Bhakti reading: love God personally, surrender, trust.
• Advaita reading: devotion purifies the mind until the distinction between devotee and Divine falls away.

A key theme of Chapter 12 is that spiritual maturity is shown in qualities like:

• non-hatred
• compassion
• freedom from ego
• steadiness
• peace amid praise or blame

Some readers notice a resonance between John 17:3 (“eternal life is to know God”) and Gita 12 — in both, the emphasis is not just on belief, but on relationship/knowing/union with the Divine.

If you want, we can look at a specific verse in Chapter 12 (for example 12.2, 12.3–5, or 12.13–20).

FMWDAS is a Karma