Kshetra
Kshetra, “the field”
Kshetraja has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kshetraja.
Grammar: neuter noun: “field”.
Meaning: a field; and, in the teaching on the ātmā, the body with all that makes it up, which is known by the kshetrajña, the knower of the field.
In the scriptures: in his teaching on samādhi, Agnideva says that the organs of knowing, the manas, the organs of action, ahaṅkāra, buddhi, the five bhūtas (elements) and the avyakta (unmanifest) Prakṛti together are called the kshetra. One who knows their nature is the kshetrajña, the lord of all beings (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 376).
In the Gītā-sāra, Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Arjuna: “This body is named kshetra; the one who knows it is the kshetrajña. The knowledge of kshetra and kshetrajña is my knowledge.” The kshetra, in brief, with its modifications, is: the mahābhūtas (great elements), ahaṅkāra, buddhi, avyakta, the eleven indriyas, the five objects of the senses, icchā (desire), dvesha (aversion), sukha, duḥkha, the gross body, cetanā (awareness) and dhṛti (steadfastness) (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 381).
Related terms: Kshetrajña · Prakṛti · Avyakta · Ahaṅkāra · Buddhi · Indriya · Mahābhūta
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 376, 381