You are the knower, not merely the field.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते |एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ||१३-२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetramityabhidhīyate . etadyo vetti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ ||13-2||
Use this verse for body-mind observation.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: O Kaunteya, this body is called the field; one who knows this body is called the knower of the field by those who know.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The body is the field, and the conscious observer is the knower.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives the core distinction of the chapter. The body, mind, senses, and experiences are like a field where events happen. The awareness that knows them is different from the field.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna answers directly: this very body — sharira — is the kshetra, the field. It is the ground on which sensations, thoughts, desires, and the fruits of past action all arise and pass away. Crucially, the body is the known, not the knower; it is an object presented to awareness, like a field surveyed by the one who tends it.
The knower of this field, the kshetrajna, is the conscious self that observes every state of the body and mind without itself becoming any of them. Sages 'who know the truth' (tat-vidah) make this distinction the cornerstone of wisdom. When we habitually identify with the field — saying 'I am tired,' 'I am anxious' — we forget the witness who simply registers these passing conditions.
Recognising ourselves as the knower, not the known, is the first liberating step of this chapter.
In daily life
Observe body and mind instead of being completely trapped in them.
When anger arises, a person can say: anger is happening in the field; I am aware of it.
Try this today
Observe one body sensation or emotion without identifying with it.
I am the aware knower of the field.Reflect
What is happening in my field right now?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘तत्विदः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on awareness, in other chapters
- Verse 5.9Even your smallest reflexes are nature at work, not the true Self — hold that awareness and remain free amid all activity.
- Verse 17.3You become what you truly revere — so choose carefully where you place your deepest faith.
- Verse 3.28When you see life as nature engaging with itself, you can participate fully yet remain inwardly free and unattached.
- Verse 2.19Your essential Self cannot be the perpetrator or the victim of any action — the soul is the eternal witness beyond cause and effect.
Swipe left for 13.3 · True knowledge sees the field, the individual knower, and Krishna as supreme knower.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.2, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.2, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.2 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: O Kaunteya, this body is called the field; one who knows this body is called the knower of the field by those who know. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.2 for daily life?
Observe body and mind instead of being completely trapped in them. When anger arises, a person can say: anger is happening in the field; I am aware of it.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.2 mean?
इदम् शरीरम् — this body; कौन्तेय — O son of Kunti (Arjuna); क्षेत्रम् इति अभिधीयते — is called the field; एतत् यः वेत्ति — he who knows this; तम् प्राहुः — him they call.
Where does verse 13.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.3.