Bhagavad-gītā 4.38
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते। तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति।।4.38।।
na hi jñānena sadṛiśhaṁ pavitramiha vidyate tatsvayaṁ yogasansiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati
There is nothing in the world so purifying as wisdom; and he who is a perfect saint finds that at last within himself.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| na | not |
| hi | certainly |
| jñānena | with divine knowledge |
| sadṛiśham | like |
| pavitram | pure |
| iha | in this world |
| vidyate | exists |
| tat | that |
| svayam | oneself |
| yoga | practice of yog |
| sansiddhaḥ | he who has attained perfection |
| kālena | in course of time |
| ātmani | wihtin the heart |
| vindati | finds |
There exists no purifier eal to knowledge of the Self. He who has attained perfection by the constant practice of Karma Yoga and Dhyana Yoga (the Yoga of meditation) will, after a time, find the knowledge of the Self in himself.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaIndeed, there is nothing purifying here comparable to Knowledge. One who has become perfected over time through yoga, realizes That in their own heart.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaFor there is no purifier equal to knowledge; he who is perfected in Karma Yoga finds this knowledge of his own accord in himself in due time.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThere exists no purifier eal to knowledge of the Self. He who has attained perfection by the constant practice of Karma Yoga and Dhyana Yoga (the Yoga of meditation) will, after a time, find the knowledge of the Self in himself.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
There is nothing in the world so purifying as wisdom
- 2
and he who is a perfect saint finds that at last within himself
- 3
na: not
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