In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni (‘mistress of the field’) originate?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Atharvaveda
The feminine kshetrasya patni, the 'mistress' of the field, is invoked in the Atharvaveda (Book 2, hymn 12), alongside heaven, earth and the atmosphere. The Rigveda's farming hymn (Book 4, hymn 57) praises the masculine Kshetrapati, the 'lord of the field'.
- ✓ (b) Atharvaveda 2.12.1 names the 'mistress of the field' among the powers called upon, alongside heaven-and-earth and the wide atmosphere.
- ✗ (a) Rigveda 4.57 is the Rigvedic farming hymn; the Vedic Heritage Portal describes the 'lord of the field' (Kshetrasya pati) as the presiding deity of the field, so the masculine form belongs here and not the feminine kshetra-patni.
- ✗ (d) The Arthashastra is a later treatise on statecraft, not a Vedic hymn text invoking the deity of the field.
Remember · Kshetrapati (lord of the field) - Rigveda 4.57; kshetra-patni (mistress of the field) - Atharvaveda 2.12.1.
Sources
- Atharva-Veda Samhita, Book II, hymn 12, verse 1 (tr. W.D. Whitney, rev. C.R. Lanman, Harvard Oriental Series, Harvard University) ↗ · reference work “Heaven-and-earth, the wide atmosphere, the mistress of the field, the wonderful wide-going one, and the wide wind-guarded atmosphere — let these be inflamed (tapya-) here while I am inflamed.”
- Vedic Agriculture (Sukumar Chattopadhyay, BHU), Vedic Heritage Portal, Ministry of Education, Government of India ↗ “The lord of field ‘Kṣetrasya pati’ is actually the presiding deity of field, praised in the Vedas for good crops.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·