Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 13
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga) in Hindi and English with meaning
Krishna calls the body a “field” and the one who knows it the “knower of the field”, and says that he himself is the knower in every body. He lists what makes up the field, describes true knowledge through about twenty simple qualities, and explains how nature and spirit work together, so that one learns to see the same Lord in every being.
Listen: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga
A calm computer-voiced recitation over soft music, checked line by line against the text. It is an aid to reading along, not a replacement for a priest or a family elder.
What chapter 13 is about
Chapter 13 begins the last group of six chapters, which look closely at what we are made of. Krishna starts with a simple picture (13.1): the body is a field, where actions are sown and their results are reaped, and the one who knows this field from within is its knower. He then says that he is the knower in every field (13.2), and lists what the field contains: the elements, the mind, the senses, and feelings such as desire, dislike, pleasure and pain (13.5–13.6).
The best-loved part of the chapter is its description of knowledge (13.7–13.11). It is not a list of facts but of qualities: humility, not harming, patience, honesty, serving one’s teacher, an even mind in good times and bad, and steady devotion. Krishna then speaks of what is to be known, the Supreme that has hands and eyes everywhere, is both far and near, and is the light of all lights, seated in every heart (13.13, 13.17).
The second half explains nature (prakriti), which does all the acting, and spirit (purusha), which experiences (13.20). One who sees the same Lord in all beings, the undying within the dying, “truly sees” (13.27), and the self stays untouched like space, which is everywhere and stained by nothing (13.32). Reading the chapter with the meanings takes about 20 to 25 minutes.
A note on numbering: some editions open this chapter with one more verse, a question from Arjuna: “अर्जुन उवाच । प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च । एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव ॥” (Arjuna uvacha: prakritim purusham chaiva kshetram kshetrajnam eva cha, etad veditum ichchhami jnanam jneyam cha keshava), meaning “Keshava, I wish to know about nature and spirit, the field and its knower, knowledge and what is to be known.” Old commentators such as Shankara do not comment on it, and it is not part of the usual count of 700 verses, so we follow the Gita Press numbering of 34 verses. In editions that include it, every verse number in this chapter is one higher (13.1 here is 13.2 there).
Verses 13.1–13.6: the field and its knower
The body as a field, the Lord as the knower in every field, and what the field is made of.
Verse 13.1
श्रीभगवानुवाच
इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते।
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः॥
Shri Bhagavan uvacha
idam shariram kaunteya kshetram ity abhidhiyate,
etad yo vetti tam prahuh kshetrajna iti tad-vidah.
अर्थ: श्रीभगवान ने कहा: हे कुन्तीपुत्र, यह शरीर “क्षेत्र” (खेत) कहलाता है। जो इसे जानता है, उसे इस विषय के जानकार “क्षेत्रज्ञ” (खेत को जानने वाला) कहते हैं।
Meaning: The Lord said: Arjuna, this body is called the “field” (kshetra). The one who knows it is called the “knower of the field” (kshetrajna) by those who understand these things.
Verse 13.2
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम॥
Kshetrajnam chapi mam viddhi sarva-kshetreshu bharata,
kshetra-kshetrajnayor jnanam yat taj jnanam matam mama.
अर्थ: हे भारत, सब क्षेत्रों (शरीरों) में क्षेत्रज्ञ भी मुझे ही जानो। क्षेत्र और क्षेत्रज्ञ का जो ज्ञान है, वही मेरे मत में सच्चा ज्ञान है।
Meaning: And know me, Arjuna, as the knower in every field. To know the field and its knower: that, in my view, is true knowledge.
Verse 13.3
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत्।
स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु॥
Tat kshetram yach cha yadrik cha yad-vikari yatash cha yat,
sa cha yo yat-prabhavash cha tat samasena me shrinu.
अर्थ: वह क्षेत्र क्या है, कैसा है, उसमें कौन-कौन से विकार (बदलाव) होते हैं, और वह किससे पैदा होता है; और वह क्षेत्रज्ञ कौन है और उसकी क्या शक्ति है, यह सब संक्षेप में मुझसे सुनो।
Meaning: What that field is, what it is like, how it changes and where it comes from; and who its knower is and what his power is: hear this from me in brief.
Verse 13.4
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक्।
ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः॥
Rishibhir bahudha gitam chhandobhir vividhaih prithak,
brahma-sutra-padaish chaiva hetumadbhir vinishchitaih.
अर्थ: इसे ऋषियों ने अनेक प्रकार से गाया है, अलग-अलग वैदिक मंत्रों में, और ब्रह्मसूत्र के उन वचनों में भी जो तर्क के साथ बात को निश्चित करते हैं। (“ब्रह्मसूत्र” से कुछ टीकाकार बादरायण का ग्रंथ समझते हैं, और कुछ उपनिषदों के ब्रह्म-संबंधी वचन।)
Meaning: The sages have sung of it in many ways, in the various Vedic hymns, and in the words of the Brahma Sutras, which settle the matter with clear reasoning. (Some commentators take “Brahma Sutras” to mean Badarayana’s text, others the Upanishad sayings about Brahman.)
Verse 13.5
महाभूतान्यहंकारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च।
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः॥
Maha-bhutany ahankaro buddhir avyaktam eva cha,
indriyani dashaikam cha pancha chendriya-gocharah.
अर्थ: पाँच महाभूत (आकाश, वायु, अग्नि, जल, पृथ्वी), अहंकार, बुद्धि, अव्यक्त (मूल प्रकृति), दस इंद्रियाँ और एक मन, और इंद्रियों के पाँच विषय (शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस, गंध),
Meaning: The five great elements, the sense of “I”, the intellect, unmanifest nature, the ten senses and the mind, and the five objects of the senses,
Verse 13.6
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं संघातश्चेतना धृतिः।
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम्॥
Ichchha dveshah sukham duhkham sanghatash chetana dhritih,
etat kshetram samasena sa-vikaram udahritam.
अर्थ: इच्छा, द्वेष, सुख, दुख, शरीर का पूरा ढाँचा, चेतना (जीवन का भाव) और धैर्य: विकारों सहित यह क्षेत्र संक्षेप में बताया गया। (श्लोक 5 और 6 मिलकर एक वाक्य हैं।)
Meaning: desire and dislike, pleasure and pain, the body as a whole, awareness and steadiness: this, in brief, is the field with its changes. (Verses 5 and 6 form one sentence.)
Verses 13.7–13.11: what true knowledge is
About twenty qualities, from humility to steady devotion, that Krishna calls knowledge.
Verse 13.7
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम्।
आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः॥
Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa kshantir arjavam,
acharyopasanam shaucham sthairyam atma-vinigrahah.
अर्थ: मान न चाहना, दिखावा न करना, किसी को हानि न पहुँचाना, क्षमा, सरलता, गुरु की सेवा, पवित्रता, स्थिरता और अपने मन पर नियंत्रण,
Meaning: Humility, freedom from pretence, not harming, patience, honesty, serving one’s teacher, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control,
Verse 13.8
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहंकार एव च।
जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम्॥
Indriyartheshu vairagyam anahankara eva cha,
janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-doshanudarshanam.
अर्थ: इंद्रियों के विषयों से वैराग्य, अहंकार का न होना, और जन्म, मृत्यु, बुढ़ापे और रोग में छिपे दुख और दोष को बार-बार देखना,
Meaning: detachment from the objects of the senses, freedom from ego, and seeing clearly the pain and flaw in birth, death, old age and illness,
Verse 13.9
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु।
नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु॥
Asaktir anabhishvangah putra-dara-grihadishu,
nityam cha sama-chittatvam ishtanishtopapattishu.
अर्थ: आसक्ति न होना, संतान, पत्नी, घर आदि से चिपके न रहना, और मनचाही या अनचाही बात आने पर सदा मन को सम रखना,
Meaning: freedom from clinging, not being wrapped up in children, spouse, home and the like, and an even mind at all times, whether the wanted or the unwanted comes,
Verse 13.10
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी।
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि॥
Mayi chananya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicharini,
vivikta-desha-sevitvam aratir jana-samsadi.
अर्थ: मुझमें अनन्य भाव से अटल भक्ति, एकांत स्थान में रहना पसंद करना, और भीड़-भाड़ में रुचि न होना,
Meaning: unwavering devotion to me with no other aim, a liking for quiet places, and no taste for crowds and gatherings,
Verse 13.11
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम्।
एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा॥
Adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam tattva-jnanartha-darshanam,
etaj jnanam iti proktam ajnanam yad ato 'nyatha.
अर्थ: आत्मा के ज्ञान में सदा लगे रहना, और तत्त्वज्ञान के लक्ष्य (परम सत्य) पर दृष्टि रखना: इसे ज्ञान कहा गया है; जो इससे उल्टा है, वह अज्ञान है। (श्लोक 7 से 11 मिलकर ज्ञान के लगभग बीस लक्षण गिनाते हैं।)
Meaning: constant attention to knowing the self, and keeping in view the goal of knowing the truth: this is called knowledge, and whatever is opposed to it is ignorance. (Verses 7 to 11 together list about twenty marks of knowledge.)
Verses 13.12–13.18: what is to be known
The Supreme that is everywhere, far and near, the light of all lights in every heart.
Verse 13.12
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्नुते।
अनादि मत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते॥
Jneyam yat tat pravakshyami yaj jnatvamritam ashnute,
anadi mat-param brahma na sat tan nasad uchyate.
अर्थ: अब मैं वह बताऊँगा जो जानने योग्य है, जिसे जानकर मनुष्य अमरता पाता है: वह अनादि परम ब्रह्म है, जिसे न “सत्” कहा जाता है न “असत्”। (शंकराचार्य इसे “अनादिमत् परं ब्रह्म”, यानी अनादि परम ब्रह्म पढ़ते हैं; रामानुजाचार्य “अनादि मत्परम्”, यानी अनादि और मुझे ही परम मानने वाला।)
Meaning: I will now tell you what is to be known, knowing which one gains immortality: the beginningless supreme Brahman, which is called neither “being” nor “non-being”. (Shankara reads the words as “anadimat param”, the beginningless supreme; Ramanuja as “anadi mat-param”, beginningless and having me as its highest.)
Verse 13.13
सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम्।
सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति॥
Sarvatah pani-padam tat sarvato 'kshi-shiro-mukham,
sarvatah shrutimal loke sarvam avritya tishthati.
अर्थ: उसके हाथ-पैर हर ओर हैं, आँखें, सिर और मुख हर ओर हैं, कान हर ओर हैं; वह संसार में सबको घेरकर स्थित है।
Meaning: Its hands and feet are everywhere, its eyes, heads and faces everywhere, its ears everywhere; it stands in the world enfolding all things.
Verse 13.14
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम्।
असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च॥
Sarvendriya-gunabhasam sarvendriya-vivarjitam,
asaktam sarva-bhrich chaiva nirgunam guna-bhoktri cha.
अर्थ: वह सब इंद्रियों के कामों में झलकता है, फिर भी स्वयं इंद्रियों से रहित है; किसी से बँधा नहीं, फिर भी सबको धारण करता है; गुणों से परे है, फिर भी गुणों का अनुभव करने वाला है।
Meaning: It shines through the working of all the senses, yet has no senses; it is unattached, yet supports all; it is beyond the gunas, yet experiences them.
Verse 13.15
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च।
सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत्॥
Bahir antash cha bhutanam acharam charam eva cha,
sukshmatvat tad avijneyam durastham chantike cha tat.
अर्थ: वह सब प्राणियों के बाहर भी है और भीतर भी; अचल भी है और चल भी। बहुत सूक्ष्म होने के कारण वह जाना नहीं जा सकता; वह दूर भी है और पास भी।
Meaning: It is outside and inside all beings, unmoving and moving. Being so subtle, it cannot be grasped; it is far away, and it is near.
Verse 13.16
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम्।
भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च॥
Avibhaktam cha bhuteshu vibhaktam iva cha sthitam,
bhuta-bhartri cha taj jneyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha.
अर्थ: वह बँटा हुआ नहीं है, फिर भी प्राणियों में बँटा हुआ-सा दिखता है। उसे सब प्राणियों का पालन करने वाला, उन्हें अपने में समेट लेने वाला और फिर से उत्पन्न करने वाला जानो।
Meaning: Undivided, it seems divided among beings. Know it as the one that sustains all beings, draws them back into itself, and brings them forth again.
Verse 13.17
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते।
ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम्॥
Jyotisham api taj jyotis tamasah param uchyate,
jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam.
अर्थ: वह सब ज्योतियों की भी ज्योति है और अंधकार से परे कहा जाता है। वही ज्ञान है, वही जानने योग्य है, वही ज्ञान से पाया जाता है, और वह सबके हृदय में बसा है।
Meaning: It is the light of all lights, said to be beyond darkness. It is knowledge, what is to be known, and what is reached through knowledge, seated in the heart of everyone.
Verse 13.18
इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः।
मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते॥
Iti kshetram tatha jnanam jneyam choktam samasatah,
mad-bhakta etad vijnaya mad-bhavayopapadyate.
अर्थ: इस प्रकार क्षेत्र, ज्ञान और जानने योग्य (ब्रह्म) संक्षेप में बताए गए। मेरा भक्त इसे जानकर मेरे भाव (मेरे स्वरूप) को पाता है।
Meaning: So the field, knowledge and what is to be known have been told in brief. My devotee who understands this comes to my own state of being.
Verses 13.19–13.26: nature and spirit
Nature does, spirit experiences; the many ways people come to know the self.
Verse 13.19
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि।
विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान्॥
Prakritim purusham chaiva viddhy anadi ubhav api,
vikaramsh cha gunamsh chaiva viddhi prakriti-sambhavan.
अर्थ: प्रकृति और पुरुष, दोनों को अनादि (बिना आरंभ के) जानो। और सब विकारों (बदलावों) तथा गुणों को प्रकृति से उत्पन्न जानो।
Meaning: Know that nature (prakriti) and spirit (purusha) are both without beginning. And know that all changes and all the gunas are born of nature.
Verse 13.20
कार्यकरणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते।
पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते॥
Karya-karana-kartritve hetuh prakritir uchyate,
purushah sukha-duhkhanam bhoktritve hetur uchyate.
अर्थ: शरीर और इंद्रियों से होने वाले सब कामों का कारण प्रकृति कही जाती है; और सुख-दुख के अनुभव का कारण पुरुष कहा जाता है। (कई संस्करणों में “कार्यकारण” पाठ है, जिसका अर्थ है “कार्य और कारण”।)
Meaning: Nature is said to be the cause of all doing through the body and the senses; spirit is said to be the cause of the experience of pleasure and pain. (Many editions read “karya-karana” with a long a, “effect and cause”.)
Verse 13.21
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्।
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु॥
Purushah prakriti-stho hi bhunkte prakritijan gunan,
karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu.
अर्थ: पुरुष प्रकृति में रहकर ही प्रकृति से उत्पन्न गुणों का अनुभव करता है। इन गुणों से उसका लगाव ही अच्छी-बुरी योनियों में उसके जन्म का कारण है।
Meaning: Spirit, dwelling in nature, experiences the gunas born of nature. Its attachment to these gunas is the cause of its births in higher and lower wombs.
Verse 13.22
उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः।
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः॥
Upadrashtanumanta cha bharta bhokta maheshvarah,
paramatmeti chapy ukto dehe 'smin purushah parah.
अर्थ: इस शरीर में जो परम पुरुष है, उसे साक्षी (पास से देखने वाला), अनुमति देने वाला, पालन करने वाला, अनुभव करने वाला, महेश्वर और परमात्मा भी कहा गया है।
Meaning: The supreme spirit in this body is also called the witness, the one who consents, the sustainer, the experiencer, the great Lord and the supreme self.
Verse 13.23
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह।
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते॥
Ya evam vetti purusham prakritim cha gunaih saha,
sarvatha vartamano 'pi na sa bhuyo 'bhijayate.
अर्थ: जो पुरुष को, और गुणों सहित प्रकृति को, इस प्रकार जान लेता है, वह किसी भी तरह जीवन जीते हुए फिर जन्म नहीं लेता।
Meaning: One who knows spirit, and nature with its gunas, in this way is not born again, whatever life he may be living.
Verse 13.24
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना।
अन्ये सांख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे॥
Dhyanenatmani pashyanti kechid atmanam atmana,
anye sankhyena yogena karma-yogena chapare.
अर्थ: कुछ लोग ध्यान के द्वारा अपने भीतर, अपने ही मन से, आत्मा को देखते हैं; कुछ सांख्य (ज्ञान) के मार्ग से, और कुछ कर्मयोग से।
Meaning: Some see the self within themselves through meditation, by their own mind; others through the path of knowledge (sankhya), and others through the yoga of action.
Verse 13.25
अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वान्येभ्य उपासते।
तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः॥
Anye tv evam ajanantah shrutvanyebhya upasate,
te 'pi chatitaranty eva mrityum shruti-parayanah.
अर्थ: और कुछ लोग, जो स्वयं इस तरह नहीं जानते, दूसरों से सुनकर उपासना करते हैं। सुनी हुई बात पर श्रद्धा से टिके वे लोग भी मृत्यु को पार कर जाते हैं।
Meaning: Still others, not knowing it in this way, worship after hearing from others. They too, devoted to what they have heard, cross beyond death.
Verse 13.26
यावत्संजायते किंचित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम्।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ॥
Yavat sanjayate kinchit sattvam sthavara-jangamam,
kshetra-kshetrajna-samyogat tad viddhi bharatarshabha.
अर्थ: हे भरतश्रेष्ठ, जो भी प्राणी पैदा होता है, चाहे अचल (पेड़-पौधे) हो या चलने-फिरने वाला, उसे क्षेत्र और क्षेत्रज्ञ के मेल से उत्पन्न जानो।
Meaning: Whatever being comes into existence, Arjuna, still or moving, know that it arises from the union of the field and its knower.
Verses 13.27–13.34: seeing the one Lord in all
Who truly sees, the self untouched like space, and the sun that lights the whole world.
Verse 13.27
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्।
विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति॥
Samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parameshvaram,
vinashyatsv avinashyantam yah pashyati sa pashyati.
अर्थ: जो सब प्राणियों में समान रूप से स्थित परमेश्वर को देखता है, जो नाशवान चीज़ों के बीच भी नष्ट नहीं होता, वही सचमुच देखता है।
Meaning: One who sees the supreme Lord present equally in all beings, the undying within the dying, truly sees.
Verse 13.28
समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम्।
न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम्॥
Samam pashyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam ishvaram,
na hinasty atmanatmanam tato yati param gatim.
अर्थ: क्योंकि जो हर जगह समान रूप से स्थित ईश्वर को देखता है, वह अपने ही हाथों अपनी हानि नहीं करता, और इसलिए परम गति पाता है।
Meaning: For seeing the same Lord present everywhere, one does not harm oneself by one’s own hand, and so reaches the highest goal.
Verse 13.29
प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः।
यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति॥
Prakrityaiva cha karmani kriyamanani sarvashah,
yah pashyati tathatmanam akartaram sa pashyati.
अर्थ: जो देखता है कि सब कर्म हर तरह से प्रकृति के द्वारा ही हो रहे हैं, और आत्मा कर्ता नहीं है, वही सचमुच देखता है।
Meaning: One who sees that all actions are done by nature alone, and that the self is not the doer, truly sees.
Verse 13.30
यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति।
तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म संपद्यते तदा॥
Yada bhuta-prithag-bhavam eka-stham anupashyati,
tata eva cha vistaram brahma sampadyate tada.
अर्थ: जब मनुष्य देख लेता है कि प्राणियों का अलग-अलग होना एक ही में टिका है, और उसी एक से सबका विस्तार हुआ है, तब वह ब्रह्म को पा लेता है।
Meaning: When one sees that the separate existence of beings rests in the One, and that everything has spread out from it, then one attains Brahman.
Verse 13.31
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः।
शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते॥
Anaditvan nirgunatvat paramatmayam avyayah,
sharira-stho 'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate.
अर्थ: हे कुन्तीपुत्र, यह अविनाशी परमात्मा अनादि और गुणों से परे होने के कारण शरीर में रहते हुए भी न कुछ करता है, न किसी चीज़ से लिप्त होता है।
Meaning: Being without beginning and beyond the gunas, this undying supreme self, Arjuna, though dwelling in the body, neither acts nor is stained.
Verse 13.32
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते।
सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते॥
Yatha sarva-gatam saukshmyad akasham nopalipyate,
sarvatravasthito dehe tathatma nopalipyate.
अर्थ: जैसे हर जगह फैला आकाश सूक्ष्म होने के कारण किसी चीज़ से लिप्त नहीं होता, वैसे ही शरीर में हर जगह स्थित आत्मा लिप्त नहीं होती।
Meaning: As space, which is everywhere, is touched by nothing because it is so subtle, so the self present throughout the body is never stained.
Verse 13.33
यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः।
क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत॥
Yatha prakashayaty ekah kritsnam lokam imam ravih,
kshetram kshetri tatha kritsnam prakashayati bharata.
अर्थ: हे भारत, जैसे एक ही सूर्य इस पूरे संसार को प्रकाशित करता है, वैसे ही क्षेत्री (क्षेत्र का स्वामी, आत्मा) पूरे क्षेत्र को प्रकाशित करता है।
Meaning: As the one sun lights up this whole world, Arjuna, so the owner of the field lights up the whole field.
Verse 13.34
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा।
भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्॥
Kshetra-kshetrajnayor evam antaram jnana-chakshusha,
bhuta-prakriti-moksham cha ye vidur yanti te param.
अर्थ: जो ज्ञान की आँख से क्षेत्र और क्षेत्रज्ञ का यह अंतर जान लेते हैं, और यह भी कि प्राणी प्रकृति के बंधन से कैसे छूटते हैं, वे परम को पाते हैं।
Meaning: Those who see with the eye of knowledge this difference between the field and its knower, and how beings are freed from nature, reach the Supreme.
Chapter colophon
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे
श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञविभागयोगो नाम त्रयोदशोऽध्यायः॥
Om tat sad iti shrimad-bhagavad-gitasu upanishatsu brahma-vidyayam yoga-shastre
shri-krishnarjuna-samvade kshetra-kshetrajna-vibhaga-yogo nama trayodasho 'dhyayah.
अर्थ: ॐ तत् सत्। इस प्रकार उपनिषद रूपी श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता में, जो ब्रह्मविद्या और योगशास्त्र है, श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन के संवाद में “क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञविभागयोग” नाम का तेरहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ।
Meaning: Om tat sat. Thus ends the thirteenth chapter, called “the yoga of telling apart the field and its knower”, in the Bhagavad Gita, an Upanishad, the knowledge of Brahman and a scripture of yoga, in the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna.
Questions
What do “kshetra” and “kshetrajna” mean in Gita chapter 13?
Kshetra means “field”: the body together with the mind, senses and feelings, everything that can be observed and that changes. Kshetrajna means “knower of the field”: the conscious self that is aware of all this. In 13.2 Krishna adds that he is the knower in every field, and calls knowing the difference between the two true knowledge.
Does Gita chapter 13 have 34 or 35 verses?
The standard text, including the Gita Press edition, has 34. Some editions add an opening question from Arjuna (“prakritim purusham chaiva…”), which makes 35 and shifts every number in the chapter up by one. That verse is quoted in the introduction above; it is not part of the usual 700-verse count.
What does Krishna call “knowledge” in 13.7–13.11?
Not book learning, but a way of being: humility, no pretence, not harming, patience, honesty, serving one’s teacher, purity, steadiness, self-control, detachment, an even mind in good and bad times, devotion, a liking for quiet, and steady attention to the self. These qualities are what make it possible to see the truth.
What is the difference between prakriti and purusha?
Prakriti is nature, the material side of everything, including body and mind; 13.20 says it is the cause of all doing. Purusha is spirit, the conscious one that experiences pleasure and pain. Both are without beginning (13.19); bondage comes from spirit’s attachment to nature’s qualities (13.21), and freedom from seeing the difference clearly (13.34).
Text and sources
The Sanskrit text is public domain. We checked all 34 verses and the colophon one by one against the chapter on Sanskrit Wikisource (“Bhagavadgita/Kshetrakshetrajnavibhagayogah”), the Srimad Bhagavad Gita text of IIT Kanpur’s Gita Supersite (heritage.iitk.ac.in), whose text the open “gita/gita” dataset also reproduces (we used only its Sanskrit), and the Bhagavad Gita text on sanskritdocuments.org, comparing them by program after normalising punctuation and spelling conventions. Where they differ we follow the Gita Press reading. The IIT Kanpur site, the dataset and sanskritdocuments.org open the chapter with the extra Arjuna verse “prakritim purusham chaiva…” and so number every verse one higher; Wikisource, like Gita Press, has 34 verses, and we follow that count (the extra verse, which the IIT Kanpur and sanskritdocuments.org texts give identically, is quoted in the introduction). In 13.20 we keep “karya-karana-kartritve” (effect, i.e. body, and instruments, i.e. senses), the reading of Wikisource and of Shankara’s commentary, where the other sources have “karya-karana” (effect and cause). In 13.3 we spell “shrinu” as Wikisource and sanskritdocuments.org do, where IIT Kanpur and the dataset have a common misspelling. The transliteration and meanings are our own.
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