Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 37

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Supremacy of Knowledge 34-39

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 37

Yatha edhamsi samiddhah agnih bhashmasat kurute arjuna I

Jnanagnih sarva karmani bhashmasat kurute tatha II slika 37

यथा एधांसि समिद्धः अग्निः भस्मसात् कुरुते अर्जुन ।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्व कर्माणि भस्मसात् कुरुते तथा ।। श्लोक ३७ 


As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all karma to ashes.


While in the ignorance the jivatman shares in karma in all three forms - sanchita, agamin and prarabdha.  Of these three, the first remains stored up to bear fruit in the distant future and the second in the near future. The third is working itself out in the present body. The fire of knowledge destroys the first two and renders the third ineffective though operating. The jnani pays no more heed to it than he does to the shadow of his body. 


The solemnity that slf knowledge brings can never be over-emphasised, as explained in the next sloka.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 36

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Supremacy of Knowledge 34-39

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 36

Api chedasi papebhyah sarvebhyah papa kruttamah I

Sarvam gyan plavena eva vrijinam samtarishyasi II sloka 36

अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पाप कृत्तमः ।

सर्वं ज्ञान प्लवेन एव वृज्जिनं  संतरिष्यसि ।। श्लोक ३६ 

Sin and virtue are the obverse and reverse of the same fact which is karma. According to he use made of it, the sam,e karma presents itself as sin or virtue. The ignorant do karma so as to get entangled in it as sin. The enlightened do the same karma to reap the merit  and also to be emancipated from it. Knowledge therefore is he only means to absolve all sin. As the unfordable river is crossed over by a raft, the meshes of karma are got over by knowledge.

How jnana can do away with karma is explained in the next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 35

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Supremacy of Knowledge 34-39

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 35

What is the hallmark of enlightenment?

 Krsna in All

Yagnyatva na punah moham evam yasyasi pandava I 

Yena bhutani asheshena drakshyasi atmany atho mayi II sloka 35

यज्ञात्वा  न पुनः मोहं एवं यास्यसि पाण्डव ।

येन भूतानि अशेषेण द्रक्ष्यसि आत्मनि अथो मयि ।। श्लोक ३५ 

Knowing this, O Pandava, you will not again fall into this confusion. By this you will see the whole of the creation in your self and in Me. 

Two apparently opposing detachments encountered each other at midnight and lay in ambush to deal on the enemy a decisive blow at daybreak. But to the surprise of both, they discovered in the morning that they belonged to  the same army. Their attitude and action changed accordingly. The world is viewed by the ignorant as made up of conflicting forces. But with the dawn of enlightenment all diversities disappear. One reality is presenting itself as many.

Knowledge leads to unity; ignorance to diversity

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 34

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Supremacy of Knowledge 34-39

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 34

Tat viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya I

Upadekshyanti te gyanam gyaninah tattva darshinah II sloka 34

तत् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनः तत्त्व दर्शिनः ।। श्लोक ३४ 

Seek that enlightenment by prostrating, by questions and by service; the wise, the seers of truth will instruct you in that knowledge.

A commercial attitude maybe paying elsewhere, but never in the realm of the divine knowledge. Even the secular study gets sanctified if the relationship between the teacher and the taught  be wholesome. But the bond between the two in spiritual enlightenment is ever sacred. The disciple prostrates before the master as a mark of making himself over to the other. He adds to his attainment by raising submissive questions pertaining to the real and the non-real, bondage and freedom. Through a reverent personal service he offers himself as oblation in the sacrificial fire of the personality of the master. The body speech and mind of the disciple are in this way dedicated to the bestower of knowledge.

The master in his turn is all mercy to the disciple. He has no motive other than propogation of spirituality. As a burning lamp lights another, an enlightened soul can carry light to another competent enquirer. Spiritual fulfillment take place in this way.

Of what avail are prayer and devotion to an aspirant who views his master as a mere human being ? The disciple ought not to hold his master as a man. Before getting the vision of the deity, the novice sees the form of the guru as a preliminary. This form metamorphises into the deity.  The disciple therefore understands that god & guru are one and the same. The master awakens the spiritual consciousness in him. More than that, he leads the intiiated into the brahman itself. 

if the  aspirant is earnest about spiritual enlightenment, the lord sees to it that he comes in contact with an enlightened one. Seek and the light is sent to you

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 34

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Supremacy of Knowledge 34-39

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 34

Tat viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya I

Upadekshyanti te gyanam gyaninah tattva darshinah II sloka 34

तत् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनः तत्त्व दर्शिनः ।। श्लोक ३४ 

Seek that enlightenment by prostrating, by questions and by service; the wise, the seers of truth will instruct you in that knowledge.

A commercial attitude maybe paying elsewhere, but never in the realm of the divine knowledge. Even the secular study gets sanctified if the relationship between the teacher and the taught  be wholesome. But the bond between the two in spiritual enlightenment is ever sacred. The disciple prostrates before the master as a mark of making himself over to the other. He adds to his attainment by raising submissive questions pertaining to the real and the non-real, bondage and freedom. Through a reverent personal service he offers himself as oblation in the sacrificial fire of the personality of the master. The body speech and mind of the disciple are in this way dedicated to the bestower of knowledge.

The master in his turn is all mercy to the disciple. He has no motive other than propogation of spirituality. As a burning lamp lights another, an enlightened soul can carry light to another competent enquirer. Spiritual fulfillment take place in this way.

Of what avail are prayer and devotion to an aspirant who views his master as a mere human being ? The disciple ought not to hold his master as a man. Before getting the vision of the deity, the novice sees the form of the guru as a preliminary. This form metamorphises into the deity.  The disciple therefore understands that god & guru are one and the same. The master awakens the spiritual consciousness in him. More than that, he leads the intiiated into the brahman itself. 

if the  aspirant is earnest about spiritual enlightenment, the lord sees to it that he comes in contact with an enlightened one. Seek and the light is sent to you

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 33

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of sacrifices - 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 33

Shreyan dravya mayat yagyat  gyan yagyah param tapa I

Sarva karma akhilam partha gyane parisamapyate II sloka 33

श्रेयान द्रव्य मयात  यज्ञात ज्ञान यज्ञः परम् तप ।

सर्व कर्म अखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते ।। श्लोक ३३ 

Knowledge-sacrifice O scorcher of foes, is superior to wealth-sacrifice. All karma in its entirety, O Partha culminates in knowledge. 

Man lives to add more and yet more to his wisdom, and not to multiply his material possessions beyond proportion. Things material cannot be made more use of than the requirement. Over-possession fosters care and anxiety. He who gives himself over too much to mammon pays the penalty in the form of being lopsided or stunted in intelligence. The man becomes earth-bound beyond redemption. Knowledge on the other hand, develops into wisdom. It embellishes the personality, aids one to discern between self and the non-self and leads man into enlightenment and liberation.

Magnificent temples attendant with elaborate and awe-inspiring ritualistic worship serve more to make man earthy than enlightened, more superstitious than spiritual, more drawn to the priests than the prophets. A neat little sanctuary, on the other hand, serving as a symbol of the human tabernacle, takes man more effectively godward. It tends towards jnana-yagna.  The feeling that the mind has to be kept as fresh and pure as a flower is more conducive to spiritual growth  and enlightenment. than offering a heap of it on the altar. The knowing man has less of the problems of life than the ignorant one. It is knowledge to intuit that one is atman and not body. In that knowledge the karma of that individual gets absolved. 

 He is verily a man who has made money his slave; he is not fit to be called a man who doesnot know how to make use of money.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 32

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of sacrifices - 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 32

Evam bahuvidha yagna vitata brahmanah mukhe I

Karma gyan viddhi tan sarvan evam gyatva vimokshyase II sloka 32

एवं बहुविधा यज्ञ वितता ब्रह्मणः मुखे ।

कर्म ज्ञान विद्धि तान् सर्वान एवं ज्ञात्वा विमोक्ष्यसे ।। श्लोक ३२ 

Various yagnas such as these are spread out in the storehouse of the vedas. Know them all to be born of karma; and thus knowing you shall be free.

The four-faced Brahma, Veda, Prakriti, nature, phenomenon, maya -  all these terms refer to the same reality. The knower of the veda is he who knows how nature functions. nature is the embodiment of karma. And there is in it a divine design of karma. They who convert karma into yagna construe and conform to the sacred plan of nature. All the happenings in nature are capable of being converted into yagna. While karma in its ordinary form is binding, in the form of yagna, it is liberating.

How does liberation ensue? The clarification comes in the next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 31

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of sacrifices - 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 31

 Krishna Vanabhojanam

Yagna shishta amruta bhujah yanti brahma sanatanam I

Nayam Lokah asti agyasyah kutah anyah kurusatam II sloka 31

यज्ञ शिष्ट अमृत भुजः यान्ति ब्रह्म् सनातनम् ।

नायं लोकः अस्ति अयग्यस्यः  कुतः अन्यः कुरुसत्तम ।। श्लोक ३१ 

The eaters of nectar, the remnants of yajna go to the eternal brahman. This world is not for non-sacrificer, how then the other, O best of the kurus?

Whatever a man does must be conducive to the common welfare. The food consumed by him becomes nectar to the extent he relegates selfishness. Every act of self denial aids man take a step towards perfection. And self annihilation is the godliest  of all his endeavours. When the man in the individual is crucified, the divine in him manifests itself. He offers his jivahood as oblation regains  brahmanhood, his original state. There is no gain superior to the gain of eternal brahman.

When the very highest can be gained by the performance of yagna, the gaining of the lower things by this means would undoubtedly be easy. This earthly possession is verily the easiest for man to procure. But even this is not obtainable to him who fails to perform yagna. The self seeking man shrinks; he thrives nowhere; and the world views him with disdain. The attainment of heaven which is superior is beside the point to such a man. 

What the progressive man should do next is given in the next sloka.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 30

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Philosophy of Action - Sloka 16-22

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 30

 Serthi - Varadaraja perumal- Perundevi thayaar- Kanchipuram

Apare niyata harah pranan praneshu juhvati I

Sarve apyete yagna vidah yagna kshapita kalmashah II Sloka 30 

अपरे नियता हाराः पराणान प्राणेषु जुह्वति ।

सर्वे अप्येते यज्ञ विदः यज्ञ क्षपित कल्मषाः ।। श्लोक ३० 

Still others of regulated food habit offer in the pranas the functions thereof. All these are knowers of yagna, having their sins destroyed by yagna.

Partaking of wholesome food in a regulated manner is in itself an aspect of yoga. It is like tuning the veena, in order to bring out the best music from it. 

The modern medical world knows how to transfer warm and fresh blood from one body to another requiring to be revitalised. Eating and digesting is the natural way of vitalising the body. One conserves the life energy in oneself only by appropriating it from another life unit. Life lives on life. He, who is exclusively attached to his personal life is therefore a sinner. Performance of yagna is the only way of redeeming oneself from sin.  The individual life is dedicated to the service of the cosmic life, manifesting itself as millions of beings.  This is what is meant by offering the functions of the pranas in the pranas themselves. They who live for the common weal incur no sin.  

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 29

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of Sacrifices - Slokas 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 29 

 Krishna in All Creation

Apane juhvati pranam prane apanam tatha apare I

Prana apana gati ruddhatva prana ayam para ayanah II sloka 29

अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणे अपानं तथा अपरे ।

प्राण अपान गति रुद्धत्वा प्राण आयां पर अयनाः   ।। श्लोक २९  

Yet others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming,  and the incoming in the outgoing, restraining the flow of the outgoing and incoming breaths, solely absorbed in the regulation of the life energy.

There is a close relationship between man's mentation and his breathing. The regularity or otherwise in one has a corresponding effect on the other. Unwholesome mentations such as fear, lust and anger disturb the flow of breath. Calmness, contentment, affection and such healthy attitudes lead to rythm in breathing. Conversely, if the flow of breath be voluntarily regulated, its effect on the mind is beneficial. Yogis took note of this fact and evolved a series of pranayama. 

Breathing through the mouth is to be avoided. Air taken in through the nostril is known as apana and that thrown out, as prana. Inhaling is technically called puraka and exhaling rechaka. Arresting the breath within or without is kumbhaka.  Violent and incorrect practice of pranayama shatters the nerves and brings in neural complications. Correct practice of it heals diseases, tones the system, enhances health and pacifies the mind. Attractive and inviting as this science is, adepts in it are few and quacks many. A novice will therefore do well to refrain from it.

A yogi is endowed with a serene mind may practise deep rythmic breathing avoiding kumbhaka as far as possible. A good walker takes no note of his legs. Similarly a sadhaka who does good pranayama is hardly ever obsessed by it. Measured breathing and a blissful attitude constitute a good pranayama. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 28

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of Sacrifices - Slokas 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 28

Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal

Dravya yagyah tapah yagyah yoga yagyah tatha apare I

Svadhyaya gyan yagyah cha yamtayah samshit vratah II sloka 28

द्रव्य यज्ञाः तपः यज्ञाः योग यज्ञाः तथा  अपरे ।

स्वाध्याय ज्ञान यज्ञाः च यम्तयः संशित व्रताः ।। श्लोक २८ 

Yet others offer wealth, austerity and yoga as sacrifice , while still others of self denial and extreme vows, offer sacred study and knowledge as sacrifice.

There are other forms of yagna suited to the sadhakas disposition and desert. Acquiring wealth by honest means and utilising it for public weal, is a form of yagna. The scrap iron is melted and recast anew. Similarly  man reforms himself through austerity or self-purgation. This is another form of yagna. Constant practice of Rajayoga or ashtanga yoga constitutes the yagna of yet others. Sacred study is superior to secular study. It requires a good deal of self-preparation. Being established in wholesome habits is the result of extreme vows. Through devoted study and reverent exposition, the divine knowledge in one increases. This is done as an act of yagna by some. That thing which a man devotedly contributes for the welfare of others multiplies in him. This is the law governing yagna. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 27

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of Sacrifices - Slokas 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 27

 Paramapadanathan

Sarvani Indriya karmani  prana karmanicha apare I

Atma samyam yoga  प्राण कर्मनिच अपरे।

आत्म संयम योग अग्नौ जुह्वति ज्ञान दीपिते ।। श्लोक २७ 

Others again offer all the actions of the senses and the functions of the life energy, as a sacrifice in the fire of self control, kindled by knowledge.

The category of mind is a combination of the sentient and insentient. Its function is very much like that piece of charcoal which when put into fire becomes ember, and charcoal again when extinguished. Mind creates the link between the self within and the objects outside. When mind is suspended in wakefulness as it does voluntarily in sound sleep, the objective world experienced by it gets negated; when the mind gets identified with the atman, like live charcoal, it assumes the characteristics of the atman. This identification of the mind with atman is here referred to as the fire of self control. This act is a great and rare sacrifice. When the mind gets merged in atman, all the actions of the senses and life energy automatically becomes sanctified. The performer of this yagna becomes brahman. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 26

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Varieties of Sacrifices - Slokas 23-33

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 4 -JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga - Sloka 26

Iskcon Balaji

Shrotra adini indriyani anye samyam agnishu juhvati I

Shabdadina vishayan anya indriyagnishu juhvati II sloka 27

श्रोत्र आदीनि इन्द्रियाणि अन्ये संयम अग्निषु जुह्वति ।

शब्ददिना विषयान् अन्ये इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुह्वति ।। श्लोक २७ 

Some offer hearing and other senses as sacrificein the fire of restraint, while others offer sound and other sense objects as sacrifice in the fire of the senses.

Two diametrically opposite types of Yagna are enunciated here. The function of the one is to make the senses ineffective and that of the other to make them super-effective.

Fire which transforms the nature of things consigned into it is the medium in ritualistic yagna and symbol in jnana-yagna.  The fire of restraint carried to its extreme becomes total sense-control. The performer of this form of yagna eats eholesome food merely for the nourishment of the body; the act of relishing and the idea of enjoying a meal are all eliminated. The other senses are suspended except for the bare maintenance of the body. The mind is completely withdrawn from the senses and made introvertive. The physical life goes on mechanically while the mind revels in the Self within.

In the second type of yagna  the senses are made best use of for the adoration of the almighty. Is the fire of the senses, the sense-objects are offered as oblation. Forms perceived by the eyes are beheld as the manifestations of the Lord. Auspicious utterances are sumptuously heard. Sacramental food is partaken of with piety. The smelling of the aroma associated with the worship of the Divine, is felt as a form of holy communion. Garlands of flower and sandal paste that come as grace from the adored deity are reverently put on the  body. The objects of all the 5 senses are thus sanctified and made liberal use of. The sensual is in this way transformed into the spiritual; the depraving into the divinizing.

Of the 2 methods, that of the sense-control is negative and sense-sublimation positive.Though they seem antithetical to each other, the result produced by them is the same - purification of the mind. The negative method is given to the daring and advanced few and the positive to the aspiring many.