Bhagavad-gītā 4.28
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
द्रव्ययज्ञास्तपोयज्ञा योगयज्ञास्तथापरे। स्वाध्यायज्ञानयज्ञाश्च यतयः संशितव्रताः।।4.28।।
dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā yoga-yajñās tathāpare swādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāśh cha yatayaḥ sanśhita-vratāḥ
Others again offer wealth, austerity, and Yoga, as sacrifice, while still others, of self-restraint and rigid vows, offer study of the scriptures and knowledge, as sacrifice.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| dravya-yajñāḥ | offering one’s own wealth as sacrifice |
| tapaḥ-yajñāḥ | offering severe austerities as sacrifice |
| yoga-yajñāḥ | performance of eight-fold path of yogic practices as sacrifice |
| tathā | thus |
| apare | others |
| swādhyāya | cultivating knowledge by studying the scriptures |
| jñāna-yajñāḥ | those offer cultivation of transcendental knowledge as sacrifice |
| cha | also |
| yatayaḥ | these ascetics |
| sanśhita-vratāḥ | observing strict vows |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through dravya-yajñāḥ (offering one’s own wealth as sacrifice), swādhyāya (cultivating knowledge by studying the scriptures), and sanśhita-vratāḥ (observing strict vows). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge that purifies action. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 4.28.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
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The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Others again offer wealth, austerity
- 2
Yoga, as sacrifice, while still others, of self-restraint and rigid vows, offer study of the scriptures and knowledge, as sacrifice
- 3
dravya-yajñāḥ: offering one’s own wealth as sacrifice
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.28, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 4.28 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 4.28 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 4.28 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.28, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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