Bhagavad-gītā 4.36
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः। सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि।।4.36।।
api ched asi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpa-kṛit-tamaḥ sarvaṁ jñāna-plavenaiva vṛijinaṁ santariṣhyasi
Even if thou be the most sinful among all the sinful, yet by the raft of knowledge alone thou shalt go across all sin.
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 |
|---|---|
| api | even |
| chet | if |
| asi | you are |
| pāpebhyaḥ | sinners |
| sarvebhyaḥ | of all |
| pāpa-kṛit-tamaḥ | most sinful |
| sarvam | all |
| jñāna-plavena | by the boat of divine knowledge |
| eva | certainly |
| vṛijinam | sin |
| santariṣhyasi | you shall cross over |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through api (even), pāpa-kṛit-tamaḥ (most sinful), and santariṣhyasi (you shall cross over). 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 4.36.
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.
Five careful reading routes
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
Even if thou be the most sinful among all the sinful, yet by the raft of knowledge alone thou shalt go across all sin
- 2
api: even
- 3
pāpa-kṛit-tamaḥ: most sinful
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
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Link
Use the line starts: api ched / sarvaṁ jñāna-plavenaiva.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.36, 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 4.36 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 4.36 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 4.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.36, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition