A question · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Real knowing starts by separating the seen from the seer.”
Arjuna said: O Keshava, I wish to understand nature, the field, the knower of the field, wisdom, and what is to be known.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyArjuna said · nature · the person · and also · the field · the knower of the field · indeed · and · this · to know · I wish · wisdom · what is to be known · and · O Keshava
Arjuna asks Krishna to explain nature, the body as the field, the knower of that field, wisdom, and the object of knowledge.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga" (Field and Knower of the Field).
Verse 1 sits in Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita — Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga, "Field and Knower of the Field". The chapter has 35 verses in total.
You sit in a parked car after a hard conversation, replaying every word. Something in you asks: what part of this was the event, and what part was your reaction?
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from confusion to discrimination: what is observed, what observes, and what can be truly known.
What this verse means
Arjuna asks Krishna to explain nature, the body as the field, the knower of that field, wisdom, and the object of knowledge.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna pauses before the larger teaching begins. He asks Krishna to explain the field, the knower of the field, wisdom, and what should be known. This question opens the chapter on how to distinguish body, mind, and awareness.
Why this verse still matters
You sit in a parked car after a hard conversation, replaying every word. Something in you asks: what part of this was the event, and what part was your reaction?
“Real understanding begins by separating what is seen from the one who sees it.”
Explore related themes: prakriti (31 verses), jnana (24 verses), kshetrajna (20 verses)