Bhagavad-gītā 5.16
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः। तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम्।।5.16।।
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ yeṣhāṁ nāśhitam ātmanaḥ teṣhām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ prakāśhayati tat param
But whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of Self,:that knowledge of theirs, like the sun, reveals the Supreme (Brahman).
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from jñānena (by divine knowledge), ātmanaḥ (of the self), and param (Supreme Entity). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to renunciation within responsible work. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 5.16.
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: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
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
But whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of Self,
- 2
that knowledge of theirs, like the sun, reveals the Supreme (Brahman)
- 3
jñānena: by divine knowledge
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.16, 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 5.16 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 5.16 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 5.16 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.16, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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