The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field

Krishna describes the paradoxical nature of the Supreme—it appears to be what it's not. 'Sarva-indriya-guṇa-ābhāsam'—it appears as the qualities of all senses. The Supreme appears as the field's qualities, but it's not the field. 'Sarva-indriya-vivarjitam'—yet it is without all senses. The Supreme is beyond the senses—it's the knower of the senses, not the senses themselves. 'Asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc'—unattached, yet sustains all. The Supreme is not attached to the field, yet it sustains it. 'Nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca'—without qualities, yet experiences qualities. The Supreme has no qualities itself, yet it experiences all qualities. This paradox points to the Supreme's nature: it's beyond the field, yet it's the source of the field. It's the knower, not the field itself. When you understand this, you recognize the Supreme's transcendence—it's beyond the field's limitations, yet it's present in the field.