Bhagavad Gita BG 13.4
Chapter 13, Verse 4 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् । स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ॥
tat kshetram yac ca yadrc ca yad-vikari yatas ca yat sa ca yo yat-prabhavash ca tat samasena me shrnu
Meaning
What that Field is, what it is like, what its modifications are, from where it arises, and who that Knower is and what His powers are — hear all that from Me in brief.
Understanding
Krishna's opening to the field-description: tat kshetram (that field) yac ca (what it is) yadrc ca (what kind it is) yad-vikari (what its modifications are) yatas ca yat (from where it arises and what it is). Sa ca yo (and who that Kshetrajna is) yat-prabhavash ca (and what His powers/influence is). Tat samasena me shrnu (hear all this from Me in brief). This verse is a structured curriculum: the Field's nature, the Field's transformations, the Field's origin, the Knower's identity, the Knower's powers. The entire chapter unfolds as Krishna's detailed answer to this self-posed question.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| यद्विकारि | yad-vikari | what modifications it undergoes, what it transforms into |
| यतश्च यत् | yatas ca yat | from where it arises and what it is |
| यत्प्रभावः | yat-prabhavah | what powers, what influence, what potency |
| समासेन | samasena | in brief, in summary, concisely |
| तत् | tat | that |
| क्षेत्रम् | kṣetram | the field |
| यत् | yac ca | what and |
| यादृक् | yādṛc ca | of what nature and |
| यद्-विकारि | yad-vikāri | what modifications it undergoes |
| यतः | yataś ca yat | from which and what |
| सः | sa ca | and he |
| यः | yo | who |
| यत्-प्रभावः | yat-prabhāvaś ca | and what his power |
| tat | tat | that |
| समासेन | samāsena | briefly, in summary |
| मे | me | from Me |
| श्रृणु | śṛṇu | hear, listen |