Analysing the Jiva swaroopa and its relationship with the Supreme Brahman is the central theme discussed in the Brahma Sutra. Krishna too elaborates on this when he speaks of two types of awareness that is crucial in spiritual parlance, said Swami Omkarananda in a discourse.
Every being gets a body at birth that lives, grows and perishes in due course. All this is possible because of the immortal self who owns this body and lives in it, experiencing his presence in each and every aspect of the entire gross body from the toe to the head.
The human body is known as Kshetra and knowledge about one’s body and its purpose is known as Kshetra Jnana. When the self knows this truth and in addition, also understands his true relationship with this body, he is a Kshetrajna. This knowledge encompasses the self’s power of discrimination by which it recognises that the body is only a temporary lease and that he is immortal and part of the eternal truth of the Lord. This is called Kshetrajna Jnana. The awareness reaches beyond the physical level and includes the subtle range and potential of the self. Just as a dweller in a house or the owner of it cannot believe that he is the house, one should be able to distance oneself from the body. A strong predisposition towards the body only fuels the desire for worldly objects and the Jiva gets immersed in materialism. The thought of salvation gets eclipsed. But when one desires to know one’s true nature, he is sure to grasp the remarkable quality of the self within and of the Supreme Power which is the prime cause of oneself and the entire creation. The focus then shifts towards dharma, jnana and salvation.
