Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13
Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga — క్షేత్ర క్షేత్రజ్ఞ విభాగ యోగం
35 verses · The Field and the Knower of the Field
Krishna distinguishes between the body (kshetra — field) and the Self (kshetrajna — knower of the field). The Knower is unchanging; the field undergoes constant change. Liberation comes from clearly knowing the distinction. The 21 qualities of the knower of the field (verses 8-12) include humility, non-violence, forbearance, simplicity, devotion to guru, purity, steadiness, self-control.
Key Verse
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत — Know Me as the Knower of the field in all fields, O Bharata.
Kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu Bhārata
అన్ని క్షేత్రాలలో క్షేత్రజ్ఞుడిని కూడా నేనే అని తెలుసుకో
Spiritual Lesson
The body is changing; the witness within is eternal. Identification with the witness, not the body, is liberation.
Where Chapter 13 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga is the 13th of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 35 verses. The longest of the eighteen is Chapter 18 at 78 verses and the shortest are Chapter 12 and Chapter 15 at 20 verses, so this one sits in the middle of that range. Its name is written క్షేత్ర క్షేత్రజ్ఞ విభాగ యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Field and the Knower of the Field.
It follows Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga, the Path of Devotion, and runs on into Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, the Three Gunas of Material Nature. The eighteen chapters are one continuous conversation rather than eighteen separate readings, so a chapter read on its own carries the argument of the one before it. All eighteen chapters are listed here.
Questions about Chapter 13
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13?
Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga, has 35 verses. Chapter lengths across the Gita are uneven, and this page publishes the count for this chapter alone rather than a running total, because editions differ over how one chapter is numbered.
What does Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Field and the Knower of the Field. The name is written క్షేత్ర క్షేత్రజ్ఞ విభాగ యోగం in Telugu. Chapter names in the Gita describe what the chapter is about rather than acting as titles a reader has to decode.
Which chapter comes before and after Chapter 13?
Before: Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga — The Path of Devotion. After: Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga — The Three Gunas of Material Nature. The Gita is a single conversation, so the chapters are numbered in the order they are spoken and are meant to be read that way.