A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Clear seeing begins by separating the field from the one who knows it.”
Listen to the field, its nature, its changes, its source, and the knower of the field, along with that knower's powers, in brief.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythat · the field · which · and · what sort · and · having what changes · from where · and · what · that · and · who · having what power · and · that · in brief · from me · hear
Krishna is about to explain, in brief, what the field is like, how it changes, where it comes from, and what the knower of the field is like.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga" (Field and Knower of the Field).
Verse 4 sits in Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita — Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga, "Field and Knower of the Field". The chapter has 35 verses in total.
Before buying a used car, a careful buyer checks the engine, the service history, where it came from, and who drove it. Krishna sets up the same kind of inspection for the field and its knower.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna announces a brief account of the field: its nature, changes, source, and the knower's powers.
What this verse means
Krishna is about to explain, in brief, what the field is like, how it changes, where it comes from, and what the knower of the field is like.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is frozen and Krishna begins teaching the difference between the body-field and the knower within it. After naming that distinction, Krishna now promises a compact explanation of the field’s nature, changes, source, and the knower’s power.
What it looks like today
Before buying a used car, a careful buyer checks the engine, the service history, where it came from, and who drove it. Krishna sets up the same kind of inspection for the field and its knower.
“You do not have to guess at reality; you can learn to examine it closely.”
Explore related themes: kshetrajna (20 verses), viveka (15 verses), kshetra (14 verses)