Purport

Arjuna now asks Shri Krishna about how the living beings come into existence and what are the components and the elements which make a living being.

Here in this Shloka Arjuna asked a question. In one question he mentioned many terms and requested Shri Krishna to explain.
Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to explain the following terms.

1. Prakriti
2. Purusha
3. Kshetra (The Field)
4. kṣetrajñam (The knower of the field)
5. Jananam (ज्ञानं) (wisdom or knowledge)
6. jñeyaṃ (ज्ञेयं )(The wisdom which needs to be acquired)

Most of the terms listed above except "Prakriti" and "Jananam" are extremely non-common. The word "Purusha" is still used in many scriptures but this word has a wide range of meanings.

A short description of the terms are as follows;
1. Prakriti
means the material world. Everything except the life element is the universe is Prakriti.

2. Purush
The word “Purush” is used for three different entities. The exact definition of this word given in Chapter 15, Shloka 16-17 which explain:
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।
क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥
There are two kinds of puruṣas(selves) mentioned [in the Veda] — the perishable (kṣara) and the imperishable (akṣara). All beings are perishable and the imperishable is [also] called the immutable (kuṭastha).
-Ch15.Sh16

उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥
Distinct from these is the Supreme Person, described as the Supreme Self [in the Vedas], He who pervading the threefold universe, supports it as the Immutable One and the Lord.
Ch15.Sh17

These two Shlokas mention three different entities which can be referred to with the word “Purush”


2.1 The Perishable:
The perishable being here is used for the living being and particularly human being, Purush means human being can be confirmed from the other shlokas, One example from Chapter 2 is as follows;

यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥
O Noblest of men! The person who remains alike in pain and pleasure and remains unaffected by them and does not get disturbed by sense objects becomes eligible for emancipation
CH2:SH 15

in this Shloka, the word “Purush” for a human being, The word “purush” used twice in above Shloka

पुरुषं : The human
पुरुषर्षभ: The best among human.
अर्षभ means bull, the literal meaning of “पुरुषर्षभ:” is “The Bull among men” which actually translates as “The best among men”.

2.2. Imperishable entity in living being:
There is only one entity in living being which is imperishable and that is the soul. Hence the word “Purush” is also used for the soul.

2.3. The supreme being:
The word “Purush” is also used for the supreme being, The God (Bhagvan Shri Krishna) himself. Chapter 15 uses the word “Purush” exclusively for Supreme being, Bhagvan Shri Krishna. The word “Purush” is used for Shri Krishna later in this chapter too.
We have this word “Purush” used in Vedas in many places. There is an exclusive Sukta in Rig Veda 10.90 called Purush Sukta.

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशाङुलम् ॥१॥
A THOUSAND heads hath Puruṣa(The Supre being or God), a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.
Rig Veda 10.90.1

There the word “Purush” can take any of the three meanings depending upon the context. In this chapter the word Purush

3 Kshetra
The word meaning of Kshetra is “Field”, Field in everyday life is a small portion of land. The word “Kshetra” in spiritual terms stands for a living body. The physical body of any living being is a small portion or the abstraction of material nature and hence called “Kshetra” a field.

4. kṣetrajñam :
Kshetra means “a field”
jnam” means to know.
Therefore “kṣetrajñam” one who knows the field, or one who knows the physical body of a living being


5. Jananam(ज्ञानं)
Means wisdom or knowledge

6. jñeyaṃ(ज्ञेयं)
The word is made from “Jnanam” and it means something worthy to be known or the object of knowledge or wisdom. This word also translates to “Ultimate wisdom” or “the end of the knowledge”

Arjuna hence asked questions about 5 different things. Further in this chapter Bhagvan Shri Krishna will answer and explain all the terms.