Verse 2
श्रीभगवानुवाच | इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते | एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः || २ ||
Transliteration
śrī-bhagavān uvāca idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ
Synonyms
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Lord said; idam—this; śarīram—body; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; kṣetram—the field; iti—thus; abhidhīyate—is called; etat—this; yaḥ—one who; vetti—knows; tam—him; prāhuḥ—they call; kṣetra-jñaḥ—knower of the field; iti—thus; tat-vidaḥ—those who know this.
Translation
“The Blessed Lord said: This body, O Kaunteya, is called the Field (Kshetra); one who knows it, those who know this call the Knower of the Field (Kshetrajna).”
Multi-Tradition Commentary
The opening statement of the chapter proper establishes the most fundamental distinction in Vedanta. The body — along with the senses, mind, and intellect — is the 'kshetra' (field), the object of experience. The 'kshetrajna' is the one who knows, the witness-awareness in which all experience occurs. The Advaitin sees the Kshetrajna as ultimately identical with Brahman — the one Consciousness that underlies all individual knowing.
Practical Application (Modern Life)
Throughout the day, periodically pause and notice: there is something in you that is aware of your thoughts, not just having them. That witnessing awareness — calm, spacious, unchanged whether thoughts are pleasant or painful — is the Kshetrajna. Even briefly touching this recognition shifts one's relationship to experience fundamentally.