Discerning field from knower is liberating wisdom.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा |भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ||१३-३५||
kṣetrakṣetrajñayorevamantaraṃ jñānacakṣuṣā . bhūtaprakṛtimokṣaṃ ca ye viduryānti te param ||13-35||
Use this verse as Chapter 13 completion reflection.
Meaning
Those who know, through the eye of knowledge, the difference between the field and the knower of the field, and liberation from the nature of beings, attain the Supreme.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Knowing the difference between field and knower leads to the Supreme.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Chapter 13 ends with the central liberation insight. The body-mind field changes; the knower is distinct. Seeing this clearly frees the seeker from bondage to prakriti and leads toward the Supreme.
Read the traditional commentary
The chapter closes by gathering its entire teaching into a single promise. Those who, with the 'eye of knowledge' (jnana-chakshus), clearly perceive the distinction between the field and its knower — between ever-changing nature and the unchanging witness — and who likewise understand the way of liberation from material nature, attain the Supreme.
The phrase jnana-chakshus is luminous: it is an inner eye that the seeker cultivates through the whole disciplined journey of this chapter — through virtue, devotion, discernment, and meditation. Physical eyes see only the field; this awakened eye perceives the knower shining within and beyond it.
The fruit of all the teaching is moksha, freedom from bondage to prakriti, and the attainment of the highest reality. Chapter thirteen thus ends where it began — with the field and its knower — but the seeker who has truly listened now sees them rightly, and in that clear seeing finds the doorway to the Supreme.
In daily life
Practice observing the field without losing the knower.
A person can end the chapter by journaling body, mind, emotions, and the witness separately.
Try this today
Journal two columns: field changes and witnessing awareness.
I know the field and rest as the knower.Reflect
Can I distinguish what changes from the one who knows change?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षम् च’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on self realization, in other chapters
- Verse 14.1The highest knowledge is not what you accumulate but what you realise — and it has already carried countless seekers to freedom before you.
- Verse 5.17When mind, heart, and aspiration all converge on the Supreme, knowledge burns away every impurity and you are truly free.
- Verse 18.50Attaining perfection is not the end but the threshold to realizing the Absolute itself.
- Verse 2.42Do not be satisfied with beautiful spiritual language that does not challenge and transform your actual way of living — truth is always more demanding than its ornate descriptions.
Swipe left for 14.1 · Knowing the gunas supports liberation.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.35
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.35, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.35, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.35 mean?
Those who know, through the eye of knowledge, the difference between the field and the knower of the field, and liberation from the nature of beings, attain the Supreme. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.35 for daily life?
Practice observing the field without losing the knower. A person can end the chapter by journaling body, mind, emotions, and the witness separately.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.35 mean?
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोः — of the field and its knower; एवम् अन्तरम् — thus the distinction; ज्ञानचक्षुषा — by the eye of knowledge; भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षम् च — and liberation from the nature of beings; ये विदुः — those who know.
Where does verse 13.35 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 35 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. It closes the chapter; Chapter 14 begins with verse 14.1.