Skip to content
Live Gita
HomeExploreChatWisdomCoursesCommunityBookmarksSettings
Live Gita
HomeExploreChatWisdomCommunity
BG 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
← Ch. 13
BG 13.4Sign in to save

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.

Word-by-word meanings

13.4 तत् that? क्षेत्रम् field? यत् which? च and? यादृक् what like? च and? यद्विकारि what its modifications? यतः whence? च and? यत् what? सः He? च and? यः who? यत्प्रभावः what His powers? च and? तत् that? समासेन in brief? मे from Me? श्रृणु hear.Commentary I will tell you? O Arjuna? what the field is? why the body is called the field? what are its modifications or changes in other words what transformations it undergoes? what are its properties? what effects arise in it from what causes? to whom

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

13.4 Srnu, hear, i.e., having heard, understand; me, from Me, from My utterance; samasena, in brief; about (all) tat, that-the true nature of the field and the Knower of the field, as they have been described; as to yat, what; tat, that-tat stands for that which has been indicated as 'This body' (in verse 1); ksetram, field is, which has been referred to as 'this'; ca, and; yadrk, how it is along with its own alities; yadvikari, what its changes are; ca, and; yatah, from what cause; arises yat, what effect (-arises is understood-); sah ca yah, and who He, the Knower of the field indicated above, is; ca, and; yat-prabhavah, what His powers are. Yat-probhavah is He who is possessed of the powers arising from the adjuncts. The word ca has been used (throughout) in the sense of and. For making the intellect of the hearer interested the Lord praises that true nature of the field and the Knower of the field which is intended to be taught:

(Showing excerpt)

Swami Gambirananda

13.4 Hear from Me in brief about (all) that as to what that field is and how it is; what its changes are, and from what cause arises what effect; and who He is, and what His powers are.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Want to explore this verse deeper?

Discuss with AI companion →
← 13.3
13.5→