The Field of Existence
– Bhagavad Gītā 13.2
Just One Verse
kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata |
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṃ yat taj jñānaṃ mataṃ mama ||
“O Bhārata, know Me to be the Knower in every field.
True wisdom is the understanding of both the field and its knower.”
Sowing Thoughts, Reaping Rewards
In this short but profound verse, Kṛṣṇa speaks of two realities:
The kṣetra (field) – the body-mind complex and, by extension, every realm in which life unfolds.
The kṣetrajña (knower of the field) – pure awareness that witnesses, guides, and ultimately transcends that field.
Eknath Easwaran loved unpacking this idea through down-to-earth images:
Notice the common theme: thought → action → destiny. Whether we label it karma, conditioning, or cognitive science, the law is the same. Change the seed, change the crop.
Just One Story: When the Harvest Fails
A friend told me about a grower friend of his who once secured advance orders from local restaurants for a rare heirloom potato. All season he tended his beds with care and confidence. But when harvest day came, the tubers were riddled with wire-worm damage—unusable. With a heavy heart he called each chef and cancelled the deliveries.
What can we learn from this?
1. The field doesn’t lie. No matter how optimistic our forecasts, reality surfaces in the soil.
2. We are still responsible for the next season. Maybe he analyzed the infestation, rotated crops, and returned the year after with healthy produce.
3. Integrity strengthens trust. His honesty with the restaurants preserved relationships; maybe they reordered the next season.
Just like that farmer, we may sow brilliant ideas or fragile hopes and still meet pests—old habits, distractions, unforeseen events. The Gītā reminds us: become the Knower. Observe, learn, and resow with clearer vision.
Reflection: Tending Your Inner Acreage
Walk your rows. Spend five quiet minutes today noticing the “crop” of your current thoughts. Are they nourishing or noxious?
Practice selective weeding. When a harmful thought appears, label it and let it go, just as you’d pluck crab-grass before it seeds.
Remember the larger field. Kṛṣṇa says the same Consciousness pervades all fields. Your inner work enriches the collective soil of families, teams, and the planet.
“The global environment is shaped by the sum of what its inhabitants do, which in turn is shaped by how they think.” — Easwaran
Every thought you had till today can become the shade tree under which someone rests tomorrow.
Happy farming—inside and out!
Nice.Thank you🙏