श्री भगवानुवाचइदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते ।
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
श्रीभगवान् बोले हे कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन यह रूपसे कहे जानेवाले शरीरको क्षेत्र कहते हैं और इस क्षेत्रको जो जानता है, उसको ज्ञानीलोग क्षेत्रज्ञ नामसे कहते हैं ॥
English
The body is called the field, O Arjuna. Those who know it call the knower of the field the field-knower.
What this verse means
The body is the field where life unfolds. The one who knows the body is called the knower of the field.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, with Arjuna still frozen, Krishna begins a precise teaching about what a human being really is. He names the body as the field of experience and points to the knower of that field, setting up the deeper distinction that follows.
Why this verse still matters
You catch yourself saying, “my body is tense,” or “my mind is spiraling.” That small sentence already shows two things: what is being observed, and the awareness observing it.
The takeaway
You are not just the body you inhabit; there is also the awareness that knows it.
Word-by-word translation
इदम् (this) / शरीरम् (body) / कौन्तेय (O son of Kunti) / क्षेत्रम् (field) / इति (thus) / अभिधीयते (is called) / एतत् (this) / यः (who) / वेत्ति (knows) / तम् (that one) / प्राहुः (they call) / क्षेत्रज्ञः (field-knower) / इति (thus) / तद्विदः (those who know this)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga — Field and Knower of the Field, which contains 35 verses.
Explore related themes: kshetrajna (20 verses), kshetra (14 verses)