Bhagavad Gita 13.7 — Desire, Aversion, Pleasure, Pain, Body-Complex, Consciousness and Will Complete the Field

The Field Includes Our Inner Life

Lord Krishna continues: icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ; etat kṣetraṁ samāsena savikāram udāhṛtam—'Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the aggregate, consciousness, and fortitude: thus the field, along with its modifications, has been described in brief.'

Icchā (desire) and dveṣa (aversion): These are the two great movements of the mind, the pull toward what seems good and the push away from what seems bad. Almost every action we perform is driven by one of them. Lord Krishna places them inside the field. They are not our identity; they are happenings in the field.

Sukha (pleasure) and duḥkha (pain): These are the pairs of experience that arrive as results of contact with the world. Because they belong to the field, they are subject to change. Pleasure fades, pain passes, and neither defines who we are.

Saṅghāta (the aggregate): This refers to the organised combination of the body, senses and mind functioning together as a single living unit. We experience ourselves as one person, but this unity is an assembly of many parts working together, and like all assemblies it can come apart.

Cetanā (consciousness, sentience): This refers to the living awareness manifest in the body-mind complex, the vital quality that makes the aggregate appear alive and responsive. It is the shining of awareness within the field. Commentators have interpreted its exact nuance in different ways, but the broad point is clear: the liveliness we observe in a body is part of the field's manifestation and is illumined by the knower.

Dhṛti (fortitude, resolve): This is the inner power of holding steady, the faculty that sustains effort and keeps us going. Even our steadfastness is a function within the field, which also means it can be trained and strengthened.

Savikāram (with its modifications): The word reminds us again that the field is never fixed. Every item on the list is constantly changing.

Why Include Feelings in the List?

This verse makes a quietly radical statement. Most of us feel that our desires, dislikes, joys and sorrows are the most personal part of us. Lord Krishna places them alongside the elements and the senses as items in the field. They are the weather of the mind: real, powerful, and temporary. When we see this, we begin to loosen their grip. We may still feel them, but we no longer need to be captured by them.

This also prepares us for the next verses. If the field consists of such changing elements, then the question arises: what kind of inner qualities help us rise above identification with the field? That is exactly what Lord Krishna will describe next.

Message for Everyday Life (Letting Feelings Be Weather, Not Identity)

Allow feelings to pass: No mood lasts forever. When we are in the grip of desire or aversion, it feels permanent, but the Gita reminds us that it is a movement in the field. Remember this on a bad day, and also on a very good one, so that neither cheers nor disappointments completely unbalance you.

Train fortitude deliberately: Since dhṛti is part of the field, it can be developed. Small daily disciplines such as waking on time, finishing what you begin and keeping a promise to yourself strengthen it gradually.

Practical approach: Before reacting to a strong feeling, ask: 'What is arising in the field right now?' Often, just asking the question reduces the intensity enough to allow wiser action.