ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषत: |
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते || 2||
jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣhyāmyaśheṣhataḥ
yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo ’nyaj jñātavyam-avaśhiṣhyate
jñānam—knowledge; te—unto you; aham—I; sa—with; vijñānam—wisdom; idam—this; vakṣhyāmi—shall reveal; aśheṣhataḥ—in full; yat—which; jñātvā—having known; na—not; iha—in this world; bhūyaḥ—further; anyat—anything else; jñātavyam—to be known; avaśhiṣhyate—remains
Translation:
Knowing which there shall not be any other to be known in this world, that Knowledge combined with experience, I will tell you.
Commentary:
The Lord’s love for the devotee is infinite. He wants to reveal everything to his disciple, make him understand the Supreme so that his mind shall not wander in ignorance at any time thereafter in the world. Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna the highest wisdom associated with personal and direct experience.
There are several arts and sciences in the world. Though a man may know many or most of them, his knowledge is not complete. Something still remains to be known. But if the Lord is known, not merely by speculation or argument, but by direct experience, then man feels that there is nothing else to be known in the world.
The Lord’s statement here agrees with the Upanishadic declaration. So the aim of the aspirant is not to know this or that or a hundred things, but to know that, knowing which the essence of all is fully realised. All search for knowledge ends here. There is nothing else to be known. When the base of the plant is watered, it is the same as watering the branches, blossoms, and fruits of the plant. We do not pour water on every leaf and flower. Even so, when the supreme Brahman is realised, all the experiences in the world are comprehended by that knowledge. When Lord Siva asked his sons Vighneswara and Kumaraswamy to go and make a circuit of the world, Kumaraswamy took the pain of flying all the way round the world, whereas Vighneswara went round Lord Siva and received the reward of circuiting the whole world as Lord Siva himself is the whole world. Even so, Brahmajnana comprehends the knowledge of everything else. Man’s lifetime is short and many are the sciences and arts, and no one can hope to know them all. The best way to know them all is to know the Divine essence immanent in all of them. What is the basic truth behind the whole of the phenomenal world? That question can be answered only by self-realisation, and not by the study of any number of sciences for any length of time. Out of compassion for his friend and disciple, Lord Krishna offers him that supreme knowledge.
Here two words are used Jnana and Vijnana-Jnana means knowledge derived from the study of sastras. It is ‘Sabdabrahma’. Vijnana means realisation of Atma i.e. parabrahma’. Supreme peace and bliss is the reward of realisation, and not of indirect knowledge born of Sastraic learning. The Lord declares that he will teach the truth, fully and completely. Verily nothing is left out. Another interpretation of the words Jnana and Vijnana may also be given. Jnana may be understood as the quality of the Jnana, like humility etc., mentioned in the 13th Discourse. Vijnana may be taken to mean Knowledge of the Supreme Brahman.
Related Articles:
- The Story of Svetaketu – Thou Art That – Chandogya Upanishad
- Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 46
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- Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 10, Verse 42
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 7 🔻 (30 Verses)
