Kshetrajna, Kṣetrajña, Kshetra-jna: 17 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
Languages
1. Marathi
2. Sanskrit
3. Kannada
See also
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Introduction:

Kshetrajna means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Kṣetrajña can be transliterated into English as Ksetrajna or Kshetrajna, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: archive.org: A History of Indian Philosophy (vaishnavism)

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—In a more direct sense God is also called kṣetrajña, because He not only behaves as the inner controller of māyā but also of all those that are affected by it and yet remains one with Himself through His essential power. The kṣetrajña should not be interpreted in a monistic manner, to mean only a pure unqualified consciousness, but as God, the supreme inner controller.

The view that unqualified pure consciousness is the supreme reality is erroneous. Consequently a distinction is drawn between the vyaṣṭi-kṣetrajña (the individual person) and the samaṣṭi-kṣetrajña (the universal person)—God, the latter being the object of worship by the former. This form of God as the inner controller is called paramātman.

Source: ISKCON Press: Glossary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—One who is conscious of the body. Both the soul and the Supersoul are kṣetrajña, for the individual soul is conscious of his own particular body and the Supersoul is conscious of the bodies of all living beings.

Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ) refers to “knower of the field. The partial kṣetra-jña is the living entity; the complete kṣetra-jña is Paramātmā (13.1)”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).

context information

Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ) refers to the “conscious principle” and is used to describe Śiva, in the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.15. Accordingly as Brahmā narrated to Nārada:—“[...] On arrival there, after paying respects to the lord [Śiva] with great excitement we lauded Him with various hymns with palms joined in reverence. The Devas said: [...] Obeisance to conscious principle (kṣetrajña) in the corporal frame, identical with Ātman, the cause of all perception”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—The son of Kṣemadharman and father of Vidhisāra.^*

* Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 1. 5.

1b) Is Puruṣa;¹ four powers of jñānam, vairāgyam, aiśvarya and dharma; ety.² Lord of Prakṛtis;³ called Mati by his knowledge of kṣetrā.⁴

1) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 32. 85; IV. 3. 86-90, 102 and 108; 4. 19.
2) Matsya-purāṇa 145. 72-8.
3) Vāyu-purāṇa 101. 223, 228; 102. 33, 108-9; 103. 27.
4) Vāyu-purāṇa 59. 70; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa I. 3. 37.

1c) Involuntary for his action and stands in its own natural place; when kṣetra and kṣetrajña have equal guṇas and no vaiṣamya takes place; vaiṣamya or excess or otherwise of these guṇas when they take to the quality of bhojya bhoktṛtva; the 24 guṇas from mahat to viśeṣa.^*

* Vāyu-purāṇa 103. 15-19.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)

Source: archive.org: Catalogue of Pancaratra Agama Texts

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ) symbolically represents Īśvara, as discussed in chapter 4 of the Viṣṇusaṃhitā: a Sanskrit text written in 2600 verses which covers typical Pāñcarātra topics through a narrative dialogue between Aupagāyana and Siddha Sumati.—Description of the chapter [kṣetrakṣetrajña-nirṇaya]: Although the opening ślokas promise an all-inclusive discussion, the chapter is largely concerned with the interaction of “kṣetra” (=prakṛti) and “kṣetrajña” (=Īśvara), and how the various elements in the mundane order are formed by this dynamic interaction. The evolution of the twenty-four tattvas are briefly noted. [...]

context information

Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Hindupedia: The Hindu Encyclopedia

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ) literally means ‘one who knows the kṣetra’. If the human body is the kṣetra or the field, then the kṣetrajña is the one who resides in it, ‘knows’ it, experiences it and controls it. This is called as the jivātman (the individual soul).

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

kṣētrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—a (S That knows, or is the conscious principle of, the body.) The vital principle, the spirit, that spiritual essence which renders bodies susceptible of motion and sensation.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—a.

1) knowing places.

2) clever, dexterous; क्षेत्रज्ञवद्भाषसे त्वं हि धर्मान् (kṣetrajñavadbhāṣase tvaṃ hi dharmān) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 1.89.14. (-jñaḥ) 1 the soul; cf. क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत (kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata) Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 13.1,3; Manusmṛti 12.12.

2) the Supreme Soul.

3) a libertine.

4) a husbandman.

5) a form of Śiva.

6) a witness.

-jñā a girl fifteen years old personating Durgā at a festival.

Kṣetrajña is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms kṣetra and jña (ज्ञ).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—mfn.

(-jñaḥ-jñā-jñaṃ) 1. Clever, dexterous, skilful. 2. A husbandman, &c. m.

(-jñaḥ) 1. The soul, the emanation of divinity residing in the body. 2. A libertine, a whore-monger. E. kṣetra a field, the body, &c, and jña who knows.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—[kṣetra-jña] (vb. jñā), I. adj. f. jñā, Conversant with (with gen.), Mahābhārata 1, 3653. Ii. m. The soul, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 8, 96.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ).—[adjective] knowing (fields or places); [masculine] the soul.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ):—[=kṣetra-jña] [from kṣetra] mfn. knowing localities, [Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa iii; Aitareya-brāhmaṇa; Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa xiii; Chāndogya-upaniṣad]

2) [v.s. ...] familiar with the cultivation of the soil (as a husbandman), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

3) [v.s. ...] clever, dexterous, skilful (with [genitive case]), [Mahābhārata i, 3653]

4) [v.s. ...] cunning, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

5) [v.s. ...] m. ‘knowing the body’ id est. the soul, the conscious principle in the corporeal frame, [Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad; Manu-smṛti viii, 96; xii, 12 and 14; Yājñavalkya; Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa 11297], etc.

6) [v.s. ...] a form of Bhairava (or Śiva)

7) [v.s. ...] Name of a prince, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa xii, 1, 4] (vv.ll. kṣatraujas and kṣemārcis)

8) Kṣetrajñā (क्षेत्रज्ञा):—[=kṣetra-jñā] [from kṣetra-jña > kṣetra] f. a girl fifteen years old who personates the goddess Durgā at a festival of this deity.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ):—(jñaḥ) 1. m. The soul; a husbandman; a libertine. a. Clever.

[Sanskrit to German]

Kshetrajna in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Kṣētrajña (ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಜ್ಞ):—

1) [noun] the soul, as the inhabitant and knower of the physical body.

2) [noun] the universal self; the Supreme.

3) [noun] a dexterous, skilful man.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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