Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 13

The Field & Its Knower

kṣētrakṣētrajñavibhāgayōgaḥ

ōṃ śrī paramātmanē namaḥ

Om. Salutations to the Supreme Self.

śrībhagavānuvācha ।

idaṃ śarīraṃ kauntēya kṣētramityabhidhīyatē ।
ētadyō vētti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣētrajña iti tadvidaḥ ॥ 1 ॥

The Blessed Lord said:

This body, son of Kuntî, is called the Field; that which knoweth it is called the Knower of the Field by the Sages.

kṣētrajñaṃ chāpi māṃ viddhi sarvakṣētrēṣu bhārata ।
kṣētrakṣētrajñayōrjñānaṃ yattajjñānaṃ mataṃ mama ॥ 2 ॥

Understand Me as the Knower of the Field in all Fields, O Bhârata. Wisdom as to the Field and the Knower of the Field, that in My opinion is the wisdom.

tatkṣētraṃ yachcha yādṛkcha yadvikāri yataścha yat ।
sa cha yō yatprabhāvaścha tatsamāsēna mē śṛṇu ॥ 3 ॥

What that Field is and of what nature, how modified, and whence it is, and what He is and what His powers, hear that now briefly from Me.

ṛṣibhirbahudhā gītaṃ Chandōbhirvividhaiḥ pṛthak ।
brahmasūtrapadaiśchaiva hētumadbhirviniśchitaiḥ ॥ 4 ॥

Rishis have sung in manifold ways, in many various chants, and in decisive Brahma-sûtra verses full of reasonings.

mahābhūtānyahaṅkārō buddhiravyaktamēva cha ।
indriyāṇi daśaikaṃ cha pañcha chēndriyagōcharāḥ ॥ 5 ॥

The great Elements, Individuality, Reason, and also the unmanifested, the ten senses and the one, and the five pastures of the senses;

ichChā dvēṣaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ saṅghātaśchētanā dhṛtiḥ ।
ētatkṣētraṃ samāsēna savikāramudāhṛtam ॥ 6 ॥

Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, combination, intelligence, firmness; these, briefly described, constitute the Field and its modifications.

amānitvamadambhitvamahiṃsā kṣāntirārjavam ।
āchāryōpāsanaṃ śauchaṃ sthairyamātmavinigrahaḥ ॥ 7 ॥

Humility, unpretentiousness, harmlessness, forgiveness, rectitude, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control.

indriyārthēṣu vairāgyamanahaṅkāra ēva cha ।
janmamṛtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadōṣānudarśanam ॥ 8 ॥

Dispassion towards the objects of the senses, and also absence of egoism, insight into the pain and evil of birth, death, old age and sickness,

asaktiranabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putradāragṛhādiṣu ।
nityaṃ cha samachittatvamiṣṭāniṣṭōpapattiṣu ॥ 9 ॥

Unattachment, absence of self-identification with son, wife or home, and constant balance of mind in wished-for and unwished-for events,

mayi chānanyayōgēna bhaktiravyabhichāriṇī ।
viviktadēśasēvitvamaratirjanasaṃsadi ॥ 10 ॥

Unflinching devotion to Me by yoga, without other objects, resort to sequestered places, absence of enjoyment in the company of men,

adhyātmajñānanityatvaṃ tattvajñānārthadarśanam ।
ētajjñānamiti prōktamajñānaṃ yadatō'nyathā ॥ 11 ॥

Constancy in the wisdom of the Self, understanding of the object of essential wisdom; that is declared to be the Wisdom; all against it is ignorance.

jñēyaṃ yattatpravakṣyāmi yajjñātvāmṛtamaśnutē ।
anādimatparaṃ brahma na sattannāsaduchyatē ॥ 12 ॥

I will declare that which ought to be known, that which being known immortality is enjoyed—the beginningless supreme Eternal, called neither being nor non-being.

sarvataḥpāṇipādaṃ tatsarvatō'kṣiśirōmukham ।
sarvataḥśrutimallōkē sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati ॥ 13 ॥

Everywhere That hath hands and feet, everywhere eyes, heads, and mouths; all-hearing, He dwelleth in the world, enveloping all,

sarvēndriyaguṇābhāsaṃ sarvēndriyavivarjitam ।
asaktaṃ sarvabhṛchchaiva nirguṇaṃ guṇabhōktṛ cha ॥ 14 ॥

Shining with all sense-faculties without any senses; unattached supporting everything and free from qualities enjoying qualities;

bahirantaścha bhūtānāmacharaṃ charamēva cha ।
sūkṣmatvāttadavijñēyaṃ dūrasthaṃ chāntikē cha tat ॥ 15 ॥

Without and within all beings, immovable and also movable; by reason of His subtlety imperceptible; at hand and far away is That.

avibhaktaṃ cha bhūtēṣu vibhaktamiva cha sthitam ।
bhūtabhartṛ cha tajjñēyaṃ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu cha ॥ 16 ॥

Not divided amid beings, and yet seated distributively; that is to be known as the supporter of beings; He devours and He generates.

jyōtiṣāmapi tajjyōtistamasaḥ paramuchyatē ।
jñānaṃ jñēyaṃ jñānagamyaṃ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam ॥ 17 ॥

That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; Wisdom, the Object of Wisdom, by Wisdom to be reached, seated in the hearts of all.

iti kṣētraṃ tathā jñānaṃ jñēyaṃ chōktaṃ samāsataḥ ।
madbhakta ētadvijñāya madbhāvāyōpapadyatē ॥ 18 ॥

Thus the Field, Wisdom and the Object of Wisdom, have been briefly told. My devotee, thus knowing, enters into My Being.

prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ chaiva viddhyanādi ubhāvapi ।
vikārāṃścha guṇāṃśchaiva viddhi prakṛtisambhavān ॥ 19 ॥

Know thou that Matter and Spirit are both without beginning; and know thou also that modifications and qualities are all Matter-born.

kāryakāraṇakartṛtvē hētuḥ prakṛtiruchyatē ।
puruṣaḥ sukhaduḥkhānāṃ bhōktṛtvē hēturuchyatē ॥ 20 ॥

Matter is called the cause of the generation of causes and effects; Spirit is called the cause of the enjoyment of pleasure and pain.

puruṣaḥ prakṛtisthō hi bhuṅktē prakṛtijānguṇān ।
kāraṇaṃ guṇasaṅgō'sya sadasadyōnijanmasu ॥ 21 ॥

Spirit seated in Matter useth the qualities born of Matter; attachment to the qualities is the cause of his births in good and evil wombs.

upadraṣṭānumantā cha bhartā bhōktā mahēśvaraḥ ।
paramātmēti chāpyuktō dēhē'sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ ॥ 22 ॥

Supervisor and permitter, supporter, enjoyer, the great Lord, and also the supreme Self; thus is styled in this body the supreme Spirit.

ya ēvaṃ vētti puruṣaṃ prakṛtiṃ cha guṇaiḥ saha ।
sarvathā vartamānō'pi na sa bhūyō'bhijāyatē ॥ 23 ॥

He who thus knoweth Spirit and Matter with its qualities, in whatsoever condition he may be, he shall not be born again.

dhyānēnātmani paśyanti kēchidātmānamātmanā ।
anyē sāṅkhyēna yōgēna karmayōgēna chāparē ॥ 24 ॥

Some by meditation behold the Self in the self by the Self; others by the Sânkhya Yoga, and others by the Yoga of Action;

anyē tvēvamajānantaḥ śrutvānyēbhya upāsatē ।
tē'pi chātitarantyēva mṛtyuṃ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ ॥ 25 ॥

Others also, ignorant of this, having heard of it from others, worship; and these also cross beyond death, adhering to what they had heard.

yāvatsañjāyatē kiñchitsattvaṃ sthāvarajaṅgamam ।
kṣētrakṣētrajñasaṃyōgāttadviddhi bharatarṣabha ॥ 26 ॥

Whatsoever creature is born immobile or mobile, know thou, O best of the Bhâratas, that it is from the union between the Field and the Knower of the Field.

samaṃ sarvēṣu bhūtēṣu tiṣṭhantaṃ paramēśvaram ।
vinaśyatsvavinaśyantaṃ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati ॥ 27 ॥

Seated equally in all beings, the supreme Lord, unperishing within the perishing—he who thus seeth, he seeth.

samaṃ paśyanhi sarvatra samavasthitamīśvaram ।
na hinastyātmanātmānaṃ tatō yāti parāṃ gatim ॥ 28 ॥

Seeing indeed everywhere the same Lord equally dwelling, he doth not destroy the Self, and thus treads the highest Path.

prakṛtyaiva cha karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ ।
yaḥ paśyati tathātmānamakartāraṃ sa paśyati ॥ 29 ॥

He who seeth that Matter verily performeth all actions, and that the Self is actionless, he seeth.

yadā bhūtapṛthagbhāvamēkasthamanupaśyati ।
tata ēva cha vistāraṃ brahma sampadyatē tadā ॥ 30 ॥

When he perceiveth the diversified existence of beings as rooted in One, and spreading forth from it, then he reacheth the Eternal

anāditvānnirguṇatvātparamātmāyamavyayaḥ ।
śarīrasthō'pi kauntēya na karōti na lipyatē ॥ 31 ॥

Being beginningless and without qualities, the imperishable supreme Self, though seated in the body, O Kaunteya, worketh not nor is affected.

yathā sarvagataṃ saukṣmyādākāśaṃ nōpalipyatē ।
sarvatrāvasthitō dēhē tathātmā nōpalipyatē ॥ 32 ॥

As the omnipresent ether is not affected, by reason of its subtlety, so seated everywhere in the body the Self is not affected.

yathā prakāśayatyēkaḥ kṛtsnaṃ lōkamimaṃ raviḥ ।
kṣētraṃ kṣētrī tathā kṛtsnaṃ prakāśayati bhārata ॥ 33 ॥

As the one sun illumineth the whole earth, so the Lord of the Field illumineth the whole Field, O Bhârata.

kṣētrakṣētrajñayōrēvamantaraṃ jñānachakṣuṣā ।
bhūtaprakṛtimōkṣaṃ cha yē viduryānti tē param ॥ 34 ॥

They who by the eyes of Wisdom perceive this difference between the Field and the Knower of the Field, and the liberation of beings from Matter they go to the Supreme.

Sanskrit text and numbering: Vaidika Vignanam · Chapter 13. English: Annie Besant, 1922 edition (public domain). Reading notes are original, AI-assisted editorial aids, not traditional commentary. Vignanam numbers 34 verses here; the parallel English has been aligned to that numbering.
About the text & artwork