13.1
अर्जुन उवाच
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च ।
एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव ॥
arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva kṣetraṃ kṣetrajñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ ca keśava
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is speaking, to Keśava (केशव). uvāca (उवाच) is "he said." It stands outside the meter. Note on verse numbering: In Śaṅkarācārya (शङ्कराचार्य)'s commentary, this opening question of Arjuna (अर्जुन) is omitted, and Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण)'s response (verse 13.2 here) is counted as verse 13.1, giving Chapter 13 34 verses and the Gītā (गीता) 700 verses in total.
The verse
Arjuna (अर्जुन) said: I wish to know nature and the person, the field and the knower of the field, and knowledge and what is to be known, Keśava (केशव).
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, म प्रकृति र पुरुष, क्षेत्र र क्षेत्रज्ञ, अनि ज्ञान र जान्नुपर्ने कुरा जान्न चाहन्छु, हे केशव।
Where it sits
The chapter opens on Arjuna's (अर्जुन) question, six words in three pairs, numbered 13.1 in this book, with the answer beginning at 13.2 on the field, while nature and the person wait until 13.20 and knowledge and what is to be known wait until 13.8 and 13.13.
Split: प्रकृतिम् + पुरुषम् + च + एव + क्षेत्रम् + क्षेत्रज्ञम् + एव + च + एतत् + वेदितुम् + इच्छामि + ज्ञानम् + ज्ञेयम् + च + केशव
prakṛtim + puruṣam + ca + eva + kṣetram + kṣetrajñam + eva + ca + etat + veditum + icchāmi + jñānam + jñeyam + ca + keśava
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रकृतिम् | prakṛtim | accusative singular | nature. prakṛti (प्रकृति) is the source that brings things forth. |
| पुरुषम् | puruṣam | accusative singular | the person. puruṣa (पुरुष) is the one who dwells in what nature brings forth. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. It presses the word it follows. |
| क्षेत्रम् | kṣetram | accusative singular | the field. kṣetra (क्षेत्र) was the ground in 1.1. Here he asks what the word is for. |
| क्षेत्रज्ञम् | kṣetrajñam | accusative singular | the knower of the field. jña (ज्ञ) is "who knows." |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एतत् | etat | accusative singular neuter | this. The pairs just named. |
| वेदितुम् | veditum | infinitive of vid (विद्) | to know. |
| इच्छामि | icchāmi | present, 1st singular of iṣ (इष्) | I wish. |
| ज्ञानम् | jñānam | accusative singular | knowledge. From jñā (ज्ञा), "know." |
| ज्ञेयम् | jñeyam | accusative singular, gerundive of jñā (ज्ञा) | what is to be known. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| केशव | keśava | vocative | Keśava (केशव). Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण), the one who must answer. |
The phrases
prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva (प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव) is the first pair. Nature, and the person. च + एव ca + eva is recited caiva (चैव).
क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञम् एव च kṣetraṃ kṣetrajñam eva ca is the second pair. The field, and the one who knows the field. Two accusatives, the same frame as the first pair.
एतद् वेदितुम् इच्छामि etad veditum icchāmi is the wish. "This I want to know." jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ ca keśava (ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव) adds the third pair and names the hearer. Knowledge, and what is to be known.
Sanskrit in this line
च + एव ca + eva is recited caiva (चैव). अ + ए a + e becomes ai (ऐ). क्षेत्रज्ञम् + एव kṣetrajñam + eva keeps the m (म्), since a final m (म्) before a vowel stays, and the line reads kṣetrajñam eva (क्षेत्रज्ञमेव).
एतत् + वेदितुम् etat + veditum is recited etad veditum (एतद्वेदितुम्). A final t (त्) before the voiced v (व्) becomes d (द्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the three pairs, in order. If kṣetrajñam (क्षेत्रज्ञम्) comes out as the field itself, stay here.