Chapter XIII · Śloka 1
Arjuna uvāca
अर्जुन उवाच ।
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च ।
एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव ॥
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 ||
prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva kṣetraṃ kṣetrajñam eva ca |
etad veditum icchāmi jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ ca keśava ||
Arjuna said: O Keśava, I wish to know about prakṛti (nature) and puruṣa (the conscious being), the field and the knower of the field, knowledge and the object of knowledge.
Arjuna poses the fundamental metaphysical questions of Sāṅkhya: What is the material field, who is the conscious knower, and what constitutes real knowledge? This sets the stage for the chapter's entire teaching on the distinction between matter and spirit.