Chapter 13, Verse 1 (Bhagavad Gita 13.1)
Sanskrit Shloka
अर्जुन उवाच प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च। एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव
Transliteration
arjuna uvācha prakṛitiṁ puruṣhaṁ chaiva kṣhetraṁ kṣhetra-jñam eva cha etad veditum ichchhāmi jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ cha keśhava
Word Meanings
arjunaḥ uvācha—Arjun said; prakṛitim—material nature; puruṣham—the enjoyer; cha—and; eva—indeed; kṣhetram—the field of activities; kṣhetra-jñam—the knower of the field; eva—even; cha—also; etat—this; veditum—to know; ichchhāmi—I wish; jñānam—knowledge; jñeyam—the goal of knowledge; cha—and; keśhava—Krishna, the killer of the demon named Keshi
Translation
Arjuna said: O Keshava, I wish to understand the nature of Prakriti (Nature) and Purusha (the Enjoyer), the Kshetra (the field) and the Kshetrajna (the knower of the field), as well as true Jnana (knowledge) and the ultimate Jneya (the object of knowledge).
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound opening of the thirteenth chapter, Arjuna acts as the representative of all seeking souls, turning to Bhagwan Shri Krishna to bridge the gap between the material experience and Divine wisdom. By inquiring about the field and its knower, Arjuna invites the Supreme Lord to unveil the secrets of the embodied soul’s entrapment in matter versus its liberation in the Divine. Shri Krishna prepares to reveal how the entire manifest universe is merely the playground of the material energy, while the true self is the eternal observer. This inquiry is the foundational step for any devotee seeking to transcend the illusions of the world and attain the lotus feet of Yogeshwar Krishna. Through this dialogue, the Lord graciously transforms the battlefield of life into a sacred space of spiritual awakening.