Bhagavad Gita 4.37-38

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Sri:

Sri Lakshminrisimha Parabrahmane Namaha

Sri Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikaya Namaha

 

SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA

- translation by Sri.V.N.Gopala Desikan

 

Chapter IV

slOkA 37

 

yathaidhAmsi samiddhognir bhasma-sAt kuruterjunA

jnAnAgnih sarva-karmAni bhasma-sAt kurute tathA

 

Translation :

 

ArjunA - ArjunA,

yathA - just as

samiddhah - burning

agnih - fire

bhasma-sAt-kurute - reduces to ashes

edhAmsi - the fuel,

tathA - similarly

agnih - the fire

jnAna - of knowledge

bhasma-sAt-kurute - destroys

sarva-karmAni - all karmAs.

 

ArjunA, just as burning fire reduces to ashes the fuel,

similarly the fire of knowledge destroys all karmAs.

 

Translation : A big fire burns heaps of firewood into ashes.

Similarly, the fire of knowledge relating to the real nature

of the soul burns all your previous karmAs, accumulated from

time immemorial. So, the karmAs or sins, having been burnt up

or destroyed, can have no effect any longer.

 

slOkA 38

 

na hi jnAnena sadrsham pavitram iha vidyate

tat svayam yOga-samsiddhah kAlenAtmani vindati

 

Translation :

 

na pavitram - No purifier

vidyate hi - is seen

iha - here

sadrsham - equal to

jnAanena - knowledge.

yOga-samsiddhah - He who has achieved success in

karma yOgA

vindati - attains

tat - that knowledge

svayam - of his own accord,

Atmani - in himself

kAlena - in course of time.

 

No purifier is seen here equal to knowledge. He who

has achieved success in karma yOgA attains that

knowledge of his own accord, in himself in course of

time.

 

Commentary : There is nothing which purifies a person, as

much as this knowledge of the soul(except the knowledge

of the Lord); since this knowledge of the soul destroys

all sins. By practising daily (in the manner taught above)

and succeeding in karma yOgA, a person will attain,

in course of time, the true knowledge, himself, of

his own accord.

 

 

adiyEn,

balaji

(Courtesy : Sri Visishtadvaita Research Centre)