Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga
The field and the knower of the field. The body, the world, and the awareness that watches both. Where the inquiry into self begins.
All 35 verses of this chapter on one page. Read straight through, or press play and follow each verse as it is recited.
अर्जुन उवाच प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च । एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव ॥
Arjuna said: O Keshava, I wish to understand nature, the field, the knower of the field, wisdom, and what is to be known.
श्री भगवानुवाच इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते । एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥
The body is called the field, O Arjuna. Those who know it call the knower of the field the field-knower.
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ॥
Know Me as the knower in all fields, Arjuna. In my view, true knowledge is knowing the field and the knower of the field.
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक् च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् । स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे श्रृणु ॥
Listen to the field, its nature, its changes, its source, and the knower of the field, along with that knower's powers, in brief.
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् । ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ॥
This truth about the field and the knower has been sung in many ways by sages, in varied Vedic hymns, and in the reasoned, conclusive verses of the Brahma Sutras.
महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च । इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः ॥
The five great elements, ego, intellect, the unmanifest, the ten senses, the one mind, and the five sense-objects: this is the field in brief.
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतनाधृतिः । एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् ॥
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the body, consciousness, and steadiness: this field, together with its changes, is briefly described.
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् । आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ॥
Absence of pride, absence of pretence, nonviolence, forgiveness, simplicity, service to the teacher, purity, steadiness, and self-control.
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च । जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥
Dispassion toward sense objects, absence of ego, and constant seeing of the fault in birth, death, old age, and disease.
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु । नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु ॥
Freedom from attachment to sons, wife, home, and the like; and constant evenness of mind in desired and undesired events.
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी । विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ॥
Undivided devotion to me, a love that does not waver, delight in solitude, and no attraction to crowds.
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् । एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोन्यथा ॥
Constant awareness of the inner reality, and seeing the supreme reality as the meaning of true understanding—this is called knowledge; whatever is contrary to this is ignorance.
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वाऽमृतमश्नुते । अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते ॥
I will now tell you what is to be known. Knowing it, one attains freedom. It is beginningless supreme reality, beyond existence and nonexistence.
सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् । सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ॥
The supreme reality has hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, and ears everywhere. It pervades all things and stands within all things.
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम् । असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च ॥
The supreme reality has no senses, yet illumines every sense-object. It is detached, supports all beings, beyond the three qualities, and yet experiences the qualities.
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च । सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ॥
The supreme reality is inside and outside all beings, moving and unmoving. Because it is subtle, it cannot be known; it is far away and near at hand.
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम् । भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च ॥
Undivided among beings, it appears divided. Know it as the one who bears, devours, and creates all beings.
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते । ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम् ॥
It is the light of all lights, beyond darkness. It is knowledge, the knowable, reached through knowledge, and abiding in every heart.
इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः । मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते ॥
Thus, field, knowledge, and the knowable have been explained briefly. My devotee, understanding this, attains my state.
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि । विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान् ॥
Know both Prakriti and Purusha to be beginningless, and know the modifications and qualities to arise from Prakriti.
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते । पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते ॥
Nature is said to be the cause of the body, the senses, and action. The inner being is said to be the cause of experiencing pleasure and pain.
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् । कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ॥
The inner being, situated in nature, experiences the qualities born of nature. Attachment to those qualities causes birth in good and bad wombs.
उपद्रष्टाऽनुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः । परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ॥
The inner self becomes the witness, consent-giver, supporter, enjoyer, and great lord through its relation with the body. Yet in its true nature, it is called the supreme self and remains beyond the body.
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैःसह । सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ॥
Whoever thus knows the purusha and prakriti together with the qualities is not born again, even while living and acting in every way.
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना । अन्ये सांख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ॥
Some realize the true self within through meditation on the self. Others through clear discernment and yoga, and still others through the yoga of action.
अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वाऽन्येभ्य उपासते । तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः ॥
Others do not know these paths, but they worship by hearing from others. Even they cross beyond death if they listen with devotion.
यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ ॥
O best among the Bharatas, know that whatever comes into being, moving or unmoving, arises from the union of the field and the knower of the field.
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् । विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥
One who sees the supreme being equally present in all beings, imperishable amid the perishing, truly sees.
समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् । न हिनस्त्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
Seeing the divine equally everywhere, a person does not wound the true self by the true self, and reaches the highest state.
प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः । यः पश्यति तथाऽऽत्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति ॥
One who sees all actions as being done only by nature, and sees the true self as the non-doer, sees rightly.
यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति । तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा ॥
When one sees all beings as rooted in one nature and all expansion arising from that source, one attains the supreme reality.
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः । शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते ॥
O son of Kunti, this supreme self is beginningless, beyond the gunas, and imperishable. Though abiding in the body, it does not act and is not stained.
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते । सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथाऽऽत्मा नोपलिप्यते ॥
As all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, so the self, present in every body, is not tainted.
यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः । क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ॥
As one sun illuminates this whole world, so the knower of the field illuminates the whole field, O Bharata.
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा । भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ॥
In this way, those who know the distinction between the field and the knower of the field with the eye of wisdom, and who know release from the source of nature, attain the supreme.