Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 13 · Prelude
अर्जुन उवाच
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च
एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव
This opening verse appears in some recensions of the Gītā; traditional numbering begins at 13.1.
arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva kṣetraṃ kṣetrajñameva ca|
etadveditumicchāmi jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ ca keśava||
Translation
Annie Besant · Theosophical · Public domain
Arjuna said: Matter and Spirit, even the Field and the Knower of the Field, wisdom and that which ought to be known, these I fain would learn, O Keshava.
Commentary
The commentators seated around this verse

Madhvācārya · Dvaita
Madhva BhāṣyaSanskritEnglishOn verses 13.0–13.3

Madhvācārya · Dvaita
Gītā Tātparya NirṇayaSanskritEnglishOn verses 13.0–13.3
“हिंसाहेतुश्च जीवस्य परेण प्रेयते च यत् | अव्यक्तादि शरीरं तु तत्क्षेत्रं क्षीयतेऽत्र यत् | इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं देहो व्याप्तिस्तु चेतसः | तद्विकारा इति ज्ञेयाश्चिद्वैच्छादिमिश्रिताः | विकारेच्छादिनिर्मुक्तश्चिन्मात्रेच्छादिसंयुतः | मुक्त इत्युच्यते जीवो मुक्तिश्च द्विविधा मता | चिन्मात्रद्वेषदुःखे च देहो मिथ्याद्गात्मकः | नियिद्धेच्छा च यत्र स्युर्नित्या सा मुक्तिरामुरी || चिन्मात्रा वैष्णवी भक्तिर्देहः साम्यग्द्गात्मकः | सुखमिच्छाऽनुकूला च मुक्तिर्देवीति सा मता || इति नारायणश्रुतिः |” - That which transcends the modifications caused by desires and illusions of sense attractions is able to unite with pure, spiritual consciousness is called the delivered one. The deliverance is two-fold. The superior form of liberation is one when pure Consciousness is attuned to be in devotion to Sri Vishnu or any of His authorized descents incarnations and as revealed in Vedic scriptures. The inferior form of liberation is one when consciousness is engaged in matters contrary to dharma or eternal righteousness, desiring perverse pleasures of the body, thus in Narayana Scripture.
“क्षेत्रज्ञो भगवान् विष्णुर्न ह्यन्य क्षेत्रमञ्जसा | वेच्यसौ भगवान् ज्ञेया व्यक्ताव्यक्तविलक्षणः | स तु जीवेषु सर्वेषु वहिश्चैव व्यवस्थितः | विलक्षणश्च जीवेभ्यः सर्वभ्योऽपि सदैव च | सर्वतः पाणिपादादिर्यतः पाण्यादिशक्तिमान् | केशदिष्वपि सर्वत्र कृष्णकेशो हि यादवः | अणोरणुत्तरे रूपैः पाणिपादादिसंयुतैः | सवत्र संस्थितत्वाद् वा सर्वतः पाणिपादवान् | सर्वेन्द्रियाणां विषयान् वेत्ति सोऽप्राकृतेन्द्रियः | यतोऽतोऽनन्दियः प्रोक्तो यन्न भिन्नेन्द्रियोऽथवा | गुणैः सच्चादिभिर्हीनः सर्वकल्याणमूर्तिमान् | अन्यथाभावरहित्यादचरश्चर एव च | चरणात् सर्वदेशेषु व्याप्तोऽणुमध्यमस्तथा | सर्वगत्वात् समीपे च दूरे चैवान्तरे च सः | अनन्ताव्ययशक्तित्वात् तदन्यत्र विरोधिनः | सन्ति सर्वे गुणस्तत्र न च तत्र विरोधिनः || इति च ||” - क्षेत्रज्ञ - the knower of the field is, verily, Sri Vishnu; no one else understands His nature. Know the supreme One to be distinct than the manifest and the un-manifest. He, verily, is established within and without all the Jivas. He is distinct from the Jiva always and in all respects. Possessed of accessibility and mobility on all directions, He is all-powerful. Even to the root of his hair, He, verily, is Sri Krishna Yadava. In the smallest of the small form He is secured, associated accessibility and mobility. Established in places, his accessibility and mobility remain extended on all direction. Even entering all the objects of senses, He is known as अप्राकृतः - the unmanifest, अनिन्द्रियः - inaccessible to senses since He is without sense organs, निर्गुण - without the attributes, with pure auspicious form, अचल - immovable, without any modifications, चर - moveable, manifests in all places, not only pervades everything but also abides within the centre of even the minutest of the atom, everywhere, near as well as far, of eternal power, even though displays seeming contradictory attributes, not contradictory to each other.
“न च जीवस्य क्षेत्रज्ञानम् - क्षेत्रज्ञ एता मनसो विभूतीर्जीवस्य मायारचिता अनित्याः | आविर्हिताश्चापि तिरोहिताच्च शुद्धो विचष्टे ह्यविशुद्धकर्तुः || इति हि भागवते ||” - क्षेत्रज्ञ is not in reference to the Jiva. क्षेत्रज्ञ is one who being pure and beyond modifications is capable of creating, with his Will, in the waking state the actual and in the dream and dreamless states, the experiences subject to modifications and hence not eternal. Thus, in Bhagavat Purana.
“अतः - एतद् यो वेत्ति इत्युक्ते जीवस्यापि किञ्चिज्ज्ञानात् तत्प्राप्तेः तन्निराकारणार्थं - क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि इत्याह | अन्यथा एतत् यो वेत्ति इत्युक्तेनैव सिद्धत्वात् || क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि इति व्यर्थम् | भेदपक्षे तु नामनिरुक्त्यर्थ एताद् यो वेत्ति इति | सर्वाभेदामपि केचिद् वदन्तीति क्षेत्रं च ज्ञश्चेति व्युत्पत्ति निरारयति | क्षेत्रज्ञं मां यो वेत्ति इत्युक्त ईश्वरस्यापि क्षेत्रज्ञत्वं सिद्धमेव | सर्वाभेदविवक्षायां च सर्वे क्षेत्रमिति वक्तव्यम् | क्षेत्रेषु इति व्यर्थम् | न च तत्पक्षे मामित्यस्य कश्चिद् विशेषः | किन्त्येक एव क्षेत्रज्ञ इति वक्तव्यम् ||” - Therefore, एतद् यो वेत्ति - even though the Lord alone is known as क्षेत्रज्ञ, since Jiva has also some experience of the क्षेत्र, he is also sometimes referred to as क्षेत्रज्ञ. Otherwise referring Himself as क्षेत्रज्ञ - ‘क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि’ immediately thereafter would have been useless. If it was otherwise, then having said that Jiva is क्षेत्रज्ञ earlier to say that He is the क्षेत्रज्ञ later would have been contradictory. Some, however, make distinction between क्षेत्र - the field and ज्ञ - the knower. (But that is not proper) because of the emphasis that He, the Lord, should be known as the क्षेत्रज्ञ, established in all the क्षेत्रज्ञ. If one understands in that manner, then it would make that the Jiva also the क्षेत्रज्ञ - knower of the field. In that case, all will be known as क्षेत्रज्ञ without any distinction at all. Without any distinction all will be spoken as the क्षेत्र - the field as well. But it is improper to consider both as क्षेत्रज्ञ. In that case, there would be nothing special calling Him as क्षेत्रज्ञ of all the क्षेत्रज्ञ Therefore He alone is the क्षेत्रज्ञ, thus has it been spoken.
“यतश्च यत् - यतः परमेश्वरानुमतिरिदं याति प्रवर्तते स चानुमन्ता यः | अनुसारिणी मतिरनुमतिः प्रेरणा | प्रेरणानुमतिः प्रोक्ता क्वचित् संवाद उच्यते | प्रेरकत्वात्तु भगवानमनुमन्ता प्रकीर्तितः || इति च | उपदृष्टानुमन्ता च | उत्वनेनेवानुमतिरमनुमन्ता चोक्तः | ज्ञेय यत् तत् इत्यादिना यत्प्रभावः इत्यादि ||” - यतश्च यत् - By whose energy. By the energy of the Supreme Lord all this is energized. He is the One who is the energizer. अनुसारिणी means by whom the mind is energized, encouraged. प्रेरणा means having the energized thoughts. संवाद is dialogue. Since the Lord energizes the thoughts of all, He is known as अनुमन्ता - the ordainer of thoughts, उपदृष्टा - the Witness. The one who induces, energizes to have thoughts is अनुमन्ता - the ordainer. ‘By whom known’, ‘which influences’ etc.
“यद्विकारी येन विकारेण युक्तम् | यतश्च यत् यतो याति वर्तते | न च प्रवर्तकः | यतश्च यदित्यस्मात् प्रवर्तते क्षेत्रम् इति वचनम् | स च य इति स्वरूपमात्रम् ||” - यतश्च यत् यतो याति वर्तते means by what modifications it is affected. यतश्च यत् means by Him alone the क्षेत्रम्, the field is energized by specifying, स च य इति His Form is indicated.