BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:16

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:16

 

jnanena tu tad ajnanam

yesam nasitam atmanah

tesam aditya-vajjnanam

prakasayati tat param

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

jnanena--by knowledge; tu--but; tat--that; ajnanam--nescience;

yesam--whose; nasitam--is destroyed; atmanah--of the living entity;

tesam--their; aditya-vat--like the rising sun; jnanam--knowledge;

prakasayati--discloses; tat param--Krsna consciousness.

 

TRANSLATION

 

When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which

nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the

sun lights up everything in the daytime.

 

PURPORT

 

Those who have forgotten Krsna must certainly be bewildered, but those

who are in Krsna consciousness are not bewildered at all. It is stated

in the Bhagavad-gita, sarvam jnana-plavena, jnanagnih sarva-karmani

and na hi jnanena sadrsam. Knowledge is always highly esteemed. And

what is that knowledge? Perfect knowledge is achieved when one

surrenders unto Krsna, as is said in the Seventh Chapter, 19th verse:

bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. After passing through

many, many births, when one perfect in knowledge surrenders unto

Krsna, or when one attains Krsna consciousness, then everything is

revealed to him, as everything is revealed by the sun in the daytime.

The living entity is bewildered in so many ways. For instance, when he

unceremoniously thinks himself God, he actually falls into the last

snare of nescience. If a living entity is God, then how can he become

bewildered by nescience? Does God become bewildered by nescience? If

so, then nescience, or Satan, is greater than God. Real knowledge can

be obtained from a person who is in perfect Krsna consciousness.

Therefore, one has to seek out such a bona fide spiritual master and,

under him, learn what Krsna consciousness is, for Krsna consciousness

will certainly drive away all nescience, as the sun drives away

darkness. Even though a person may be in full knowledge that he is not

this body but is transcendental to the body, he still may not be able

to discriminate between the soul and the Supersoul. However, he can

know everything well if he cares to take shelter of the perfect, bona

fide Krsna conscious spiritual master. One can know God and one's

relationship with God only when one actually meets a representative of

God. A representative of God never claims that he is God, although he

is paid all the respect ordinarily paid to God because he has

knowledge of God. One has to learn the distinction between God and the

living entity. Lord Sri Krsna therefore stated in the Second Chapter

(2.12) that every living being is individual and that the Lord also is

individual. They were all individuals in the past, they are

individuals at present, and they will continue to be individuals in

the future, even after liberation. At night we see everything as one

in the darkness, but in day, when the sun is up, we see everything in

its real identity. Identity with individuality in spiritual life is

real knowledge.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.