FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 14.1

శ్రీభగవానువాచ పరం భూయ: ప్రవక్ష్యామి జ్ఞానానాం జ్ఞానముత్తమమ్ । ‍‍ ॥ యజ్జ్ఞాత్వా మునయ: సర్వే పరాం సిద్ధిమితో గతా: ॥ ౧ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
[shree-bhagavaan uvaacha]
paraṁ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi
[param bhooyah pravakshyaami]
jñānānāṁ jñānam uttamam
[jnaanaanaam jnaanam uttamam]
yaj jñātvā munayaḥ sarve
[yaj jnaatvaa munayah sarve]
parāṁ siddhim ito gatāḥ
[paraam siddhim ito gataah]
Word-for-word
śrī - bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said param — transcendental bhūyaḥ — again pravakṣyāmi — I shall speak jñānānām — of all knowledge jñānam — knowledge uttamam — the supreme yat — which jñātvā — knowing munayaḥ — the sages sarve — all parām — transcendental siddhim — perfection itaḥ — from this world gatāḥ — attained .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
paraṁ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi
param
transcendental
bhūyaḥ
again
pravakṣyāmi
I shall speak
jñānānāṁ jñānam uttamam
jñānānām
of all knowledge
jñānam
knowledge
uttamam
the supreme
yaj jñātvā munayaḥ sarve
yat
which
jñātvā
knowing
munayaḥ
the sages
sarve
all
parāṁ siddhim ito gatāḥ
parām
transcendental
siddhim
perfection
itaḥ
from this world
gatāḥ
attained .
Important Words
  • param — transcendental, supreme
    Kṛṣṇa qualifies this knowledge as param at the outset — not merely useful information but the kind that pulls the hearer out of the field of birth and death. The chapter will end on the same word (27): brahmaṇaḥ pratiṣṭhā. The frame is set.
  • jñānānām — of all knowledges
    Genitive plural. There are many jñānas — Sāṅkhya analyses, ritual lore, statecraft, even yogic insights — and Kṛṣṇa explicitly ranks them against one another. The plural matters: knowledges are not equal. Kṛṣṇa is selecting from a set.
  • uttamam — the supreme
    Uttama — highest, topmost. Among the plural jñānas, this one is uttama. The chapter's opening claim is hierarchical, not pluralist. By the end of the chapter (v. 27) Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself as the basis of even the brahma-jyoti — confirming why this jñāna is uttama.
  • munayaḥ — the sages
    Plural and definite. Not a theoretical claim — a historical one. Many sages, in many ages, attained the supreme perfection by exactly this knowledge. The lineage is the proof of the medicine.
  • siddhim — perfection
    Qualified by parām in the verse — supreme perfection. Not material accomplishment, not even yogic powers. The siddhi promised here is the same state chapter 14 will define at v. 20 as guṇa-atīta. The destination is named in verse one.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained the supreme perfection.
Purport

From the Seventh Chapter to the end of the Twelfth Chapter, Śrī Kṛṣṇa in detail reveals the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now, the Lord Himself is further enlightening Arjuna. If one understands this chapter through the process of philosophical speculation, he will come to an understanding of devotional service. In the Thirteenth Chapter, it was clearly explained that by humbly developing knowledge one may possibly be freed from material entanglement. It has also been explained that it is due to association with the modes of nature that the living entity is entangled in this material world. Now, in this chapter, the Supreme Personality explains what those modes of nature are, how they act, how they bind and how they give liberation. The knowledge explained in this chapter is proclaimed by the Supreme Lord to be superior to the knowledge given so far in other chapters. By understanding this knowledge, various great sages attained perfection and transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord now explains the same knowledge in a better way. This knowledge is far, far superior to all other processes of knowledge thus far explained, and knowing this many attained perfection. Thus it is expected that one who understands this Fourteenth Chapter will attain perfection.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
1. The Lord said: Again I will speak the highest knowledge among all types of knowledge. Knowing this, all the sages attained the highest perfection.
Commentary

In the fourteenth chapter, the bondage caused by the guṇas and the symptoms are described. The many symptoms of the disappearance of the guṇas, and the cause of disappearance, bhakti, are also described. In the previous chapter, it was described that the contact of the jīva with the body made of guṇas is the cause of his taking repeated births: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. What types of results come from contact with the guṇas? What are the symptoms of those associated with the guṇas? How is one liberated from the guṇas? In anticipation of these questions, the Lord promises to speak about the above topics while praising them. “Knowledge” here means teachings by which one gains knowledge.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
1. The Lord said: Again I will speak more knowledge, which is the best among all types of knowledge; by knowing this, all the sages attained the highest perfection of understanding ātmā in this world.
Commentary

The fourteenth chapter explains that the guṇas are a cause of bondage, that they give three results, and that they are destroyed by devotion to Me. Having examined and concluded the natures of jīvas and prakṛti which are mixed together, one should become liberated from the bondage of prakṛti by becoming endowed with certain qualities such as pridelesness (amānitvā). The cause of bondage is the association of gunās. This was explained in BG 13.21: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. What are those guṇas? How does the association with one of those guṇas take place? What is the result of association with the guṇa? What are the characteristics of a person associated with a guṇa? How does one become freed from the guṇas? With these questions in mind the Lord praises in two verses the topics He will be explaining, to induce a taste for ātmā. Again I will speak more knowledge, which is different from the knowledge just spoken (param). This knowledge concerns the guṇas and is included in knowledge of prakṛti and the jīva. It is the best among all topics of knowledge concerning the jīva and prakṛti. It is similar to fresh butter extracted from yogurt. Realizing this (jṣātvā), all sages, those dedicated to contemplation (munayaḥ), attained the perfection of true understanding of the ātmā (param siddhim gataḥ) in this world (itaḥ). Or another meaning is this. The process by which one gains knowledge that I previously spoke I will describe again in a different way. Among the processes of attaining knowledge, such as austerity, this is the most excellent (param uttamam) because it contains all the other practices. Knowing this, all the sages attained the supreme goal of liberation (param siddham) from this world (itaḥ).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "From the Seventh Chapter to the end of the Twelfth Chapter, Sri Krsna in detail reveals the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now, the Lord Himself is further enlightening Arjuna. If one understands this chapter through the process of philosophical speculation, he will come to an understanding of devotional service. In the Thirteenth Chapter, it was clearly explained that by humbly developing knowledge one may possibly be freed from material entanglement. It has also been explained that it is due to association with the modes of nature that the living entity is entangled in this material world. Now, in this chapter, the Supreme Personality explains what those modes of nature are, how they act, how they bind and how they give liberation. The knowledge explained in this chapt proclaimed by the Supreme Lord to be superior to the knowledge given so far in other chapters. By understanding this knowledge, various great sages attained perfection and transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord now explains the same knowledge in a better way. This knowledge is far, far superior to all other processes of knowledge thus far explained, and knowing this many attained perfection. Thus it is expected that one who understands this Fourteenth Chapter will attain perfection." This should give us some impetus to enter into the mysteries of this Chapter and thus exit from the entanglement of the three modes of material nature.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Kṛṣṇa uses the word bhūyaù, “again,” to indicate that He will repeat the knowledge He mentioned

in Bg. 13.22. How is this knowledge “the best of all”? Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains Kṛṣṇa’s

words: “‘Again I will speak a kind of knowledge different from what I have spoken so far. It deals

specifically with the modes of nature. It is the best of all kinds of knowledge about the prakṛti and

the jīva, and it resembles a distillation of yogurt from milk. Realizing this knowledge and meditating

upon it thoughtfully, all great sages attained, in this very world, correct perception of the Supreme

Soul.’”

The proper use of intelligence is to understand śāstric truths. Usually, Śrīla Prabhupāda decries phi-

losophical speculation because it is generally used as a process that attempts to uncover the Abso-

lute Truth by one’s limited intellectual strength. In his purport, however, Śrīla Prabhupāda invites

readers to engage in philosophical speculation. Here, philosophical speculation refers to hearing

from bona fide sources and then using one’s intelligence to understand what has been heard.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
14.1 The word param should be connected with the remote word jnanam. Pravaksyami, I shall speak; bhuyah, again-even though spoken of more than once in all the preceding chapters; of the param, supreme-it is supreme because it is concerned with the supreme Reality;-which is that?-jnanam, Knowledge; uttamam, the best-since it has the best result; jnananam, of all knowledges-. 'Of all knowledges' does not mean 'of humility' etc. (13.7-11). What then? It means 'among knowledges of all knowable things like sacrifice etc.' They do not lead to Liberation, but this (Knowledge) leads to Liberation. Hence the Lord praises it with the words 'supreme' and 'best', so as to arouse interest in the intellect of the listener. Yat jnatva, by realizing which, by attaining which Knowledge; sarve, all; munayah, the contemplatives, the monks [But not those who espoused monasticsim as a formality in in the fourth stage of life.] gatah, reached, attained; itah, from here-when this bondage of the body had ceased; param, the highest; siddhim, Perfection, called Liberation. And the Lord shows the infallibility of this Perfection:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
14.1 The Lord said I shall declare again another kind of knowledge which is distinct from what was taught earlier concerning Gunas such as Sattva, falling within the sphere of Prakrti and Purusa. This knowledge going to be revealed is the best of all forms of knowledge concerning the Prakrti and the self. Having gained this knowledge, all sages, namely, those given to meditation, have attained perfection, beyond this world, the sphere of Samsara, having attained the essential and pure form of the self. He further extols this knowledge, distinguishing it by its fruits:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
14.1 Param etc. Knowledge has been described earlier; the same I shall again explain thoroughly, i.e., in detail in order to examine individually the nature of the Strands. By knowing which etc.: By this [the Bhagavat] proclaims the tested trustworthiness and the popularity of this knowledge.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
14.1 The Blessed Lord said I will again declare (to thee) that supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledge, having known which all the sages have gone to the supreme perfection after this life.
Commentary

14.1 परम् supreme? भूयः again? प्रवक्ष्यामि (I) will declare? ज्ञानानाम् of all knowledge? ज्ञानम् knowledge? उत्तमम् the best? यत् which? ज्ञात्वा having known? मुनयः the sages? सर्वे all? पराम् supreme? सिद्धिम् to perfection? इतः after this life? गताः gone.Commentary Further analysis of the field is made in this chapter.In chapter XIII? verse 21? it has been stated that attachment to the alities is the cause of Samsara or births in good and evil wombs. In this chapter the Lord gives answers to the estions What are the alities of Nature (Gunas) How do they bind a man What are the characteristics of these alities How do they operate How can one obtain freedom from them What are the characteristics of a liberated soulAll knowledge has no reference to the knowledge described in chapter XIII? verse 7 to 10? but it refers to that kind of knowledge which concerns sacrifices. That kind of knowledge which relates to sacrifices cannot give liberation. But the knowledge which is going to be imparted in this discourse will certainly lead to emancipation. The Lord eulogises this knowledge by the epithets supreme and the best in order to create great interest in Arjuna and other spiritual aspirants.Having learnt this supreme knowledge? all the sages who practised Manana or reflection (Munis) have attained perfection after being freed from bondage to the body.Itah After this life after being freed from this bondage to the body.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
14.1 The Blessed Lord said I shall speak again of the supreme Knowledge, the best of all knowledges, by realizing which all the contemplatives reached the highest Perfection from here.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
14.1 "Lord Shri Krishna continued: Now I will reveal unto the Wisdom which is beyond knowledge, by attaining which the sages have reached Perfection.
Related values & verses
Related values
Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Discriminative WisdomSeva (Service / Selfless Action)Daya (Compassion / Mercy)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)
Related verses
BG 7.2 BG 9.1 BG 13.3 SB 3.25.12 SB 11.6.29 SB 2.9.31 CC Madhya 20.122 CC Madhya 25.100 CC Ādi 1.49 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.3Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.22
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Again I shall declare to you the supreme wisdom — knowing which, all the sages have attained the supreme perfection.
Practical Applications
  • Welcome repetition of the same teaching from different angles.
  • Honor the lineage of sages who attained perfection through this knowledge.
  • Trust the path others have walked.
Reflection Questions
  • What teaching have I been receiving from too few angles?
  • What lineage do I draw confidence from?
Analogy

A lamp passed from hand to hand down a long line of bearers — each one lit the next, and not one of them invented the flame. Kṛṣṇa is about to hand Arjuna the same lamp the munis carried. Receive it as flame, not as opinion.

Stories
The four Kumāras to Pṛthu Mahārāja

The four sage-sons of Brahmā — Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, and Sanatkumāra — arrived at the assembly of King Pṛthu and were honored as teachers. They did not invent fresh philosophy; they restated the eternal jñāna they had themselves received and walked.

Pṛthu accepted the teaching not because it was novel but because it carried the perfume of munis who had attained by it. The same posture is being asked of Arjuna here — and of us.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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