Bhagavad-gītā 5.16
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ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः। तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम्।।5.16।।
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ yeṣhāṁ nāśhitam ātmanaḥ teṣhām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ prakāśhayati tat param
Surely, wisdom is like the sun, revealing the supreme truth to those whose ignorance has been dispelled by the wisdom of the Self.
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 |
|---|---|
| jñānena | by divine knowledge |
| tu | but |
| tat | that |
| ajñānam | ignorance |
| yeṣhām | whose |
| nāśhitam | has been destroyed |
| ātmanaḥ | of the self |
| teṣhām | their |
| āditya-vat | like the sun |
| jñānam | knowledge |
| prakāśhayati | illumines |
| tat | that |
| param | Supreme Entity |
When ignorance, the root cause of human sufferings, is annihilated by the knowledge of the Self, this knowledge illuminates the Supreme Brahman or that highest immortal Being, just as the sun illumines all the objects of this gross, physical universe.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaBut in the case of those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge (of the Self), their knowledge, like the sun, reveals that supreme Reality.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaBut for those in whom this ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of the Self, that knowledge, in their case, is supreme and shines brightly like the sun.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaWhen ignorance, the root cause of human sufferings, is annihilated by the knowledge of the Self, this knowledge illuminates the Supreme Brahman or that highest immortal Being, just as the sun illumines all the objects of this gross, physical universe.
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
Surely, wisdom is like the sun, revealing the supreme truth to those whose ignorance has been dispelled by the wisdom of the Self
- 2
jñānena: by divine knowledge
- 3
ātmanaḥ: of the self
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