anya kṣetra

 

Anya kṣetra means “another field,” “another 

territory,” or “a foreign domain” in Sanskrit.

Core meaning from Sanskrit sources

The compound anyakṣetra is formed from anya (“other, another”) and

kṣetra (“field, region, territory”).
According to the Sanskrit dictionary entry in the results, it specifically

means

Wisdom Library

:

• another field
• another or foreign territory
• another sphere or domain
• in some contexts, another’s wife (a secondary, idiomatic meaning)

These meanings appear in early Sanskrit sources such as the

Atharva‑Veda

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.

Why kṣetra matters

The word kṣetra itself has a wide semantic range across Indian traditions:

• “field,” “region,” “area” in general usage

  1
• “temple,” “sacred site,” or “holy region” in Hindu sacred geography
• and Vāstu texts

  2
• “the body” as the “field” of experience in the Bhagavad Gītā (Chapter 13)

  2
• “land,” “plot,” or “area” in Ayurveda and other sciences

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• 

  

  4 Sources
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Because kṣetra can mean physical land, sacred space, or even the body, 

anya kṣetra can contextually mean “another land,” “another sacred region,” 

or “another field of activity,” depending on the text.

Examples of usage

The dictionary entry provides a traditional maxim illustrating the contrast 

between puṇya‑kṣetra (holy field) and anya‑kṣetra (other field)

Wisdom Library

:

anyakṣetre kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ puṇyakṣetre vinaśyati
“Sin committed in another (ordinary) place is destroyed in a holy place.”

Here anya kṣetra simply means a non‑sacred or ordinary place, contrasted

with a sacred one.

Summary

• Anya = “other, another”
• Kṣetra = “field, region, territory; sacred site; body”
• Anya kṣetra = “another field/territory,” “foreign domain,” or “other sphere”
• Meaning varies slightly with context, but the core idea is always “a
• field or region that is not one’s own.”