UPSC Prelims 2026 question on Kshetra Patni Term

The Rigveda contains numerous references to cultivation, fertility and the importance of productive land, indicating that agriculture had begun to assume a significant role alongside the predominantly pastoral character of early Vedic society. Several hymns invoke divine blessings for abundant harvests, timely rainfall, fertile fields and agricultural prosperity. A notable agricultural deity mentioned in the Rigveda is Kshetrapati ('Lord or Protector of the Field'), invoked for the protection, fertility and successful yield of cultivated land.

By contrast, the term Kshetra-patni ('Lady or Mistress of the Field') is associated with the Atharvaveda, where it appears in the context of agrarian and fertility rites. The Atharvaveda places greater emphasis on agricultural practices, household rituals and fertility-related ceremonies, making it the primary Vedic source for this feminine personification of the field.

Hence option (b) is correct. The closest distractor, the Rigveda, originates the masculine Kshetrapati but not Kshetra-patni. The Ashtadhyayi (Panini's grammar) and the Arthashastra (Kautilya's treatise on statecraft) are considerably later, non-Vedic texts and do not originate the term.