Chapter 13, Verse 19
इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः | मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते ||१३-१९||
iti kṣetraṃ tathā jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ coktaṃ samāsataḥ . madbhakta etadvijñāya madbhāvāyopapadyate ||13-19||
Meaning
13.19 Thus the field, as well as knowledge and the knowable have been briefly stated. My devotee, knowing this, enters into My Being.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna pauses to draw together the three threads he has woven: the field (kshetra) of body and nature, the knowledge (jnana) that consists of virtue and Self-awareness, and the knowable (jneya), the supreme Brahman. These three together form a complete map of reality and the way to traverse it.
Then comes the verse's heart: it is 'My devotee' (mad-bhakta) who, understanding this, attains to the divine being. Note the tender word — not the mere scholar or analyst, but the devotee. Krishna fuses knowledge and devotion into one path. Intellectual grasp of these truths matters, but it ripens only when carried in a loving heart. The one who both understands and loves is lifted into God's own nature (mad-bhava). This reassures the sincere seeker: you need not be a philosopher to reach the goal. Understanding offered with devotion is itself the doorway into the Divine.
💡 Key Takeaway
Understanding these truths with a devoted heart, not just a sharp mind, is what lifts you into the Divine.
Related Verses
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत | क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ||१३-३||
kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata . kṣetrakṣetrajñayorjñānaṃ yattajjñānaṃ mataṃ mama ||13-3||
13.3 Do thou also know Me as the knower of the field in all fields, O Arjuna. Knowledge of both the field and the knower of the field is considered by Me to be ï1the ï1 knowledge.
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् | स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ||१३-४||
tatkṣetraṃ yacca yādṛkca yadvikāri yataśca yat . sa ca yo yatprabhāvaśca tatsamāsena me śṛṇu ||13-4||
13.4 What the field is and of what nature, what are its modifications and whence it is and also who He is and what His powers are hear all that from Me in brief.
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् | ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ||१३-५||
ṛṣibhirbahudhā gītaṃ chandobhirvividhaiḥ pṛthak . brahmasūtrapadaiścaiva hetumadbhirviniścitaiḥ ||13-5||
13.5 Sages have sung in many ways, in various distinctive chants and also in the suggestive words indicative of the Absolute, full of reasoning and decisive.