Shloka
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् |
स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ||१३-४||Transliteration
tatkṣetraṃ yacca yādṛkca yadvikāri yataśca yat .
sa ca yo yatprabhāvaśca tatsamāsena me śṛṇu ||13-4||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
13.4. What that Field is and of what nature it is; why it modifies, whence and what; and who he (the Field-sensitizer) is; and of what nature He is; listen to [all] that from Me collectively.
Shri Purohit Swami
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.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
13.4 See Comment under 13.5
Sri Ramanuja
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.
Sri Shankaracharya
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:
Swami Adidevananda
13.4 Listen briefly from Me what the Field is, and what it is like, what is modifications are, what purpose it serves, what it is; and who the self is and what Its powers are.
Swami Gambirananda
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.
Swami Sivananda
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.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
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.