The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field

Arjuna asks Krishna to explain fundamental distinctions that most people never question. 'Prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ'—material nature and the soul. 'Kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñam'—the field (body) and the knower of the field (consciousness). 'Jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ'—knowledge itself and what knowledge reveals. These aren't abstract concepts—they're the building blocks of self-understanding. Most people live their entire lives confusing the body with the self, thinking they are their physical form. Arjuna's question opens Chapter 13's central teaching: you are not your body. You are the awareness that knows the body. This distinction is everything. Without it, you suffer. With it, you find freedom.