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Bhagavad-gītā 13.4

तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च‍ यादृक्‍च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् । स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे श‍ृणु ॥ ४ ॥
tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca
[tat kshetram yach cha yaadrik cha]
yad-vikāri yataś ca yat
[yad-vikaari yatash cha yat]
sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca
[sa cha yo yat-prabhaavash cha]
tat samāsena me śṛṇu
[tat samaasena me shrinu]
Word-for-word
tat — that kṣetram — field of activities yat — what ca — also yādṛk — as it is ca — also yat — having what vikāri — changes yataḥ — from which ca — also yat — what saḥ — he ca — also yaḥ — who yat — having what prabhāvaḥ — influence ca — also tat — that samāsena — in summary me — from Me śṛṇu — understand .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca
tat
that
kṣetram
field of activities
yat
what
ca
also
yādṛk
as it is
ca
also
yad-vikāri yataś ca yat
yat
having what
vikāri
changes
yataḥ
from which
ca
also
yat
what
sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca
saḥ
he
ca
also
yaḥ
who
yat
having what
prabhāvaḥ
influence
ca
also
tat samāsena me śṛṇu
tat
that
samāsena
in summary
me
from Me
śṛṇu
understand .
Important Words
  • samāsena — in summary
    Kṛṣṇa is not pretending to give the whole vedānta. He marks His description as a compression — enough to act upon, not enough to exhaust. The careful reader takes this hint and turns to the larger śāstra.
  • vikāri — changes
    From vikāra — modification, transformation. The very promise to describe the body's vikāras is the promise that the body is not the self. Whatever changes is not you.
  • prabhāvaḥ — influence
    Power, sway, dominion. Kṛṣṇa will describe not just what the knower is but what he can do. The soul is not inert — it has prabhāva, even when forgotten.
  • śṛṇu — understand (lit. hear)
    Imperative from √śru. The transmission is oral, even here in a written text. The student's first duty is not to argue but to hear — the same word that will define the path of verse 26.
Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Kṛṣṇa lays out the syllabus: a seven-fold question about the field — its identity, qualities, transformations, origin, effects — and its knower — his identity and his powers. The verse signals a tightly structured exposition rather than discursive teaching.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The accumulation of yad/yādṛk/yataḥ/yat-prabhāva is rhetorical — Kṛṣṇa is showing the student exactly how many questions one good Sāṅkhya catechism contains. The promise 'samāsena' ('in brief') is significant: the chapter answers only the essentials; deeper unfolding is reserved for chapters 14 (the guṇas), 15 (puruṣottama), and the yoga chapters earlier in the text.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
तत् क्षेत्रं यत् च, यादृक् च, यत्-विकारि च, यतः च (उत्पन्नम्), यत् (फलम्) च, सः च यः (क्षेत्रज्ञः), यत्-प्रभावः च — तत् समासेन मे शृणु ॥
tat kṣetraṃ yat ca, yādṛk ca, yat-vikāri ca, yataḥ ca (utpannam), yat (phalam) ca, saḥ ca yaḥ (kṣetrajñaḥ), yat-prabhāvaḥ ca — tat samāsena me śṛṇu ||
Hear from Me in brief: what that field is, of what nature, what its modifications are, whence it arises, what it produces — and who that knower of the field is, and what his powers are.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
तत् क्षेत्रं यत् च यादृक् च यत्-विकारि यतः च यत् । सः च यः यत्-प्रभावः च तत् समासेन मे शृणु ॥
tat kṣetraṃ yat ca yādṛk ca yat-vikāri yataḥ ca yat | saḥ ca yaḥ yat-prabhāvaḥ ca tat samāsena me śṛṇu ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
तत् tat तद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. that
क्षेत्रम् kṣetram क्षेत्र (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) field
यत् yat यद् rel.pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. which
यादृक् yādṛk यादृश् (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n., correlative of what sort
यत्-विकारि yat-vikāri यत् + विकारिन् (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) having what modifications
यतः yataḥ ind. (indeclinable), ablative-correlative from what / whence
सः saḥ तद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. he
यः yaḥ यद् rel.pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. who
यत्-प्रभावः yat-prabhāvaḥ यत् + प्रभाव (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) having what powers
समासेन samāsena समास (m.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular), adverbial in brief / summarily
मे me अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) gen.sg. (genitive singular), enclitic from Me / My
शृणु śṛṇu √श्रु impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) hear!
Purport

The Lord is describing the field of activities and the knower of the field of activities in their constitutional positions. One has to know how this body is constituted, the materials of which this body is made, under whose control this body is working, how the changes are taking place, wherefrom the changes are coming, what the causes are, what the reasons are, what the ultimate goal of the individual soul is, and what the actual form of the individual soul is. One should also know the distinction between the individual living soul and the Supersoul, their different influences, their potentials, etc. One just has to understand this Bhagavad-gītā directly from the description given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all this will be clarified. But one should be careful not to consider the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every body to be one with the individual soul, the jīva. This is something like equating the potent and the impotent.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
4. Hear from Me briefly what is the composition of this field, what are its qualities, what are its transformations, from where it originates, by what varieties it is known, who is the knower and what are his powers.
Commentary

Now the Lord begins to elaborate on what He has said previously in abbreviated form. Hear from Me in brief of what the body consists (yac ca)— a conglomeration of five gross elements, prāṇa, senses and other things; what qualities it exhibits (yadṛk)— such as desire and hatred; what its transformations are (yad-vikāri)—into desirable or undesirable things; from what it arises (yataḥ)—from the combination of matter and soul; by what it is distinguished (yat)—by differences among various moving or non-moving bodies; and who (yaḥ) is he (sa)—the knower of the field—the jīva and the Paramātmā. The neuter form singular yat and tat are used instead of the masculine, though jīva, Paramātmā and the field are referred to, by the rule of grammar napuṁsakam anapuṁsakennaikavac ca (Aṣṭādhyāyī, Pāṇini 1.2.69). If there is a group of items with the same base of various genders including neuter, the neuter gender can be used to indicate all of them. This operation is called eka-śeṣa (single remainder).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
4. Hear from Me briefly the composition of this field, its contents, its transformations, its origin and its svarūpa. Hear from Me also about the knower of the field—his svarūpa, and his powers.
Commentary

What the Lord said in abbreviated form He now discusses in detail. Hear from Me briefly about the body (kṣetram), its basic components or dravya (yac ca), what it gives shelter to, its contents (yādṛk), its transformations (yad vikāri), the purpose of its appearance (yataḥ), its svarūpa (yat), and the knower of the field—the jīva and the Lord (sa ca), their svarūpas and energies (yat prabhāvaḥ). Neuter case (yat and tat) is used for the items by the rule napuṁsakam anapuṁsakenaikav cāsyānyatrasyām (Pāṇini 1.2.69). If there is a group of items of various genders including neuter with the same base, the neuter gender can be used to indicate all of them.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are. (cn) There are five differents points that Krsna makes here and they are actually described in the remaining verses of this Chapter. Although Krsna answers the six questions of Arjuna, in the remaining verses of this Chapter, He also explains all these points in relationship to the field of activities. In this verse Krsna explains about these points briefly but the next verse (5), He explains where these points are expanded for further study in case one wants to know more then the brief description that Krsna is now giving in the rest of the chapter. (DS) Four more things about ksetra will be described in this Chapter: (1) what is it made of; (2) the nature of ksetra; (3) its transformations, and (4) its source. And two things about ksetrajna: (1) its nature and (2) its influence. All these will be explained in brief. Why? Because this knowledge is unlimited.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Krishna proposes to explain 5 points about the field of activity (Ksetra)

1. How the body is constituted (Explained in Text 13.6 and 13.7)

2. What changes the body undergoes (Text 13.7 and 13.20)

3. How, when and where the body is produced (Text 13.6, 13.21, 13.22 and 13.30)

4. Identity of the knower of the field of activities (Text 13.14-13.18 and 13.23)

5. The influence of the knower (Texts 13.14 – 13.18)

Focus of Learning

(a) Best way to solve these issues mentioned in translation

Just understand this Bhagavad-gita as per the description given by Supreme Personality of Godhead
CAUTION! Do not consider the Supreme Personality in every body to be one with individual soul, the jiva
Analogy: It would be like equating the potent and the impotent

(b) Two knowers and their differences

Soul as the individual knower; and Supersoul as the Super knower
Supersoul is the Supreme proprietor of all the bodies, but soul is only for one body
Analogy: Citizen as the proprietor of one land, but King is the proprietor of all lands
Supreme Lord is the Supreme Controller of the Senses (Hrsikesa); Soul is the secondary controller
King is the original controller of all activities; citizens are the secondary controllers
One is fallible, other is infallible
One is subordinate, other is superior
Analogy: It would be like equating the potent and the impotent
Supporting Ref. Vedic Literatures: ’’Kshetrani …’’ Mentions there are 2 knowers of the body

(c) Definition of “knowledge”

To study the subject matter of the field of activity and the knower of the field very minutely

(d) Refutation of ‘’Soul and Supersoul as the same’’ –

Word “ca” indicates the total number of bodies – it indicates Krishna is present as Supersoul in every body while the atomic soul is present only in their individual bodies
Analogy: Do not misunderstand a rope to be a serpant
Real knowledgeis to know Supersoul as the controlled of both, the field of activities and the finite enjoyers

(e) Understand the position of Prakriti (nature), Purusha (enjoyer of nature) and Ishvara (The

Supreme Knower)

Analogy: Understand their differences and do not confuse between painter, the painting and the easel
There are three Brahman conceptions
Prakriti (Material nature) is Brahman as the field of activities
Jiva (Living entity) is also Brahman, and is trying to control material nature
Controller of both of them is also Brahman
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
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:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
13.4 What the 'Field is' namely, what its substance is; what it is 'like', namely, what things depend on it; what its 'modifications' are, namely, what its transformations are; what the 'purpose' is for which it has been originated; 'what it is,' namely, what its true nature is; 'who it is,' namely, who the individual self is and what Its nature is like; what Its 'powers', are, namely, what powers It possesses. All this, briefly learn from Me.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
13.4 See Comment under 13.5
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
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.
Commentary

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 it belongs? whether it is cultivated or whether it grows wild.That field refers to the field mentioned in verse 1.Who He is Who is that knower of the field What are His powers (Prabhavas are powers such as the power of seeing? hearing? etc.) which originate from the limiting adjuncts (such as the eys? the ears? etc.) Do thou hear My speech which describes succinctly the real nature of the field and the knower of the field in all these specific aspects.O Arjuna? I am ite sure that thou wilt clearly comprehend the truth on hearing My speech.The body is the field. The ten senses represent the ten bulls. The bulls work unceasingly day and night through the field of the objects of the senses. The mind is the supervisor. The individual soul is the tenant. The five vital airs (Pranas) are the five labourers. The Primordial Nature is the mistress of the field. This field is Her property. She Herself watches over the field vigilantly. She is endowed with the three alities. Rajas sows the seed Sattva guards it Tamas reaps the harvest. On the threshing floor or MahatTattva (the cosmic mind) with the help of the ox called time? She -- Primordial Nature -- thrashes out the corn. If the individual soul does evil actions? it sows the seeds of sin? manures with evil? reaps a crop of sin? and undergoes the pains of Samsara? viz.? birth? decay? old age? sickness? and the three kinds of afflictions. If it does virtuous actions it sows the good seeds of virtue and reaps a crop of happiness.Lord Krishna now speaks very highly in the following verse of the true nature of the field and the knower of the field in order to create interest in the hearer.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
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.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
13.4 What is called Matter, of what it is composed, whence it came, and why it changes, what the Self is, and what Its power - this I will now briefly set forth.
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 7.4 BG 13.6-7 BG 13.19 SB 3.26.11 SB 11.22.1 SB 2.5.25 CC Madhya 20.262 CC Ādi 5.41 CC Madhya 6.157 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 1.12Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.1.2
Concepts
Bhava
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I shall now describe what the field is — its constitution, its modifications, its origin, who the knower is, and what his powers are.
Practical Applications
  • Welcome systematic teaching as an aid to clarity.
  • Don't skip technical descriptions; they shape understanding.
  • Take notes when scripture is being technical.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I skimmed technical scripture?
  • What does deeper attention offer?
Analogy

Before an apprentice can be trusted with a temple's carving, the master walks him slowly around the stone — naming each angle, each grain, each fault. Kṛṣṇa does the same here: He announces a survey of the field and asks Arjuna to listen carefully. Skip the survey and every later cut will go wrong.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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