Bg. 10.11 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG 10.11

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Devanagari

तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थमहमज्ञानजं तम: । नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ॥ ११ ॥

Verse text

teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajṣāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jṣāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

Synonyms

teṣām — for them ; eva — certainly ; anukampā-artham — to show special mercy ; aham — I ; ajṣāna-jam — due to ignorance ; tamaḥ — darkness ; nāśayāmi — dispel ; ātma-bhāva — within their hearts ; sthaḥ — situated ; jṣāna — of knowledge ; dīpena — with the lamp ; bhāsvatā — glowing.

Translation

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

11. To show favor to them, I, by Myself, situated in their mental functions, extinguish the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge. 12-13. Arjuna said: You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme body, the most purifying. The sages, Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa, therefore declare You to be the eternal human form, beyond the guṇas, unborn, the source of all, and the greatest. And so also do You declare it to me.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

11. To show favor to them, I, by Myself, situated within them, extinguish the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge. 12-13. Arjuna said: You are the supreme brahman, the supreme body, the most purifying. The sages, Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa, declare You as the eternal human form, beyond the guṇas, unborn, the source of all, and the greatest. And so also do You declare it to me.

Translation (Bhurijana Dasa)

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. (com) Last verse Krsna says He gives buddhi yoga, but He also removes their ignorance. Q: Without knowledge how can one know Krsna annd attain Him? A: "For those who are mentioned in last verse I give by My mercy knowledge and no one else. After attaining My mercy, I take charge their knowledge becomes My responsibility. This jnana doesn't refer to jnana in goodness. In this knowledge I give them is different than knowledge that comes from devotion. It is like lamp that dispels darkness. Because I personally destroy ignorance, there is no need for them to endeavor fo I care for them. By this statement, it shows I supply their daily needs and their spiritual needs." These verses last four are essence of B‑Gita. They remove the distress of living entity and grant peace to him. Gita Bhushan: The ignorance has been in existence in living entity for so long, how can there be light? "Those fixed on Me, pure devotees will get My mercy and I'll remove the darkness. So I enter their hearts, just as bee enters into lotus. Whatever ignorance exists due to anadi‑karma other than Me I personally remove. I manifest My transcendental quality and form for them." "For such *** bhaktas, unalloyed devotees, I maintain them and give them intelligence to act properly. They need go nowhere else". Whatever has been spoken in these verses are the essence of Bhagavad‑gita.

Purport

When Lord Caitanya was in Benares promulgating the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, thousands of people were following Him. Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, a very influential and learned scholar in Benares at that time, derided Lord Caitanya for being a sentimentalist. Sometimes Māyāvādī philosophers criticize the devotees because they think that most of the devotees are in the darkness of ignorance and are philosophically naive sentimentalists. Actually that is not the fact. There are very, very learned scholars who have put forward the philosophy of devotion. But even if a devotee does not take advantage of their literatures or of his spiritual master, if he is sincere in his devotional service he is helped by Kṛṣṇa Himself within his heart. So the sincere devotee engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be without knowledge. The only qualification is that one carry out devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Māyāvādī philosophers think that without discriminating one cannot have pure knowledge. For them this answer is given by the Supreme Lord: those who are engaged in pure devotional service, even though they be without sufficient education and even without sufficient knowledge of the Vedic principles, are still helped by the Supreme God, as stated in this verse. The Lord tells Arjuna that basically there is no possibility of understanding the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, simply by speculating, for the Supreme Truth is so great that it is not possible to understand Him or to achieve Him simply by making a mental effort. Man can go on speculating for several millions of years, and if he is not devoted, if he is not a lover of the Supreme Truth, he will never understand Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Truth. Only by devotional service is the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa, pleased, and by His inconceivable energy He can reveal Himself to the heart of the pure devotee. The pure devotee always has Kṛṣṇa within his heart; and with the presence of Kṛṣṇa, who is just like the sun, the darkness of ignorance is at once dissipated. This is the special mercy rendered to the pure devotee by Kṛṣṇa. Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one’s heart is always covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge. The ultimate goal, Viṣṇu, can be attained only by this chant and by devotional service, and not by mental speculation or argument. The pure devotee does not have to worry about the material necessities of life; he need not be anxious, because when he removes the darkness from his heart, everything is provided automatically by the Supreme Lord, who is pleased by the loving devotional service of the devotee. This is the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. By studying Bhagavad-gītā, one can become a soul completely surrendered to the Supreme Lord and engage himself in pure devotional service. As the Lord takes charge, one becomes completely free from all kinds of materialistic endeavors.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

“Without the functioning of knowledge and other such elements, how can they attain You and how can they even strive for that goal?” All this is not at all necessary. Having the intention of giving them mercy by all means, even without them having to worry about attaining My mercy, since I Myself make the endeavor to give them mercy (teṣam eva anukampārtham), I, being situated within the functioning of their intellects (ātma-bhāvasthaḥ)—by the lamp of knowledge, knowledge arising from bhakti which is beyond the guṇas, not sattvic knowledge, since bhakti alone can reveal Me—destroy the darkness born of ignorance in them alone, and not in other persons such as the yogīs . I alone (aham eva) do this, all on My own. Why should they strive for this purpose? I have already said that I carry the responsibility of their spiritual and material welfare (yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham). I accept responsibility to supply all their material and spiritual requirements. These famous four verses which have been narrated are the essence of all topics in the Gītā , removing the misery and producing complete joy for the jīvas. Desiring to hear in detail what was just spoken briefly by the Lord, Arjuna speaks by first praising the Lord. You are param brahma and You are the most attractive body in the form of Śyāmasundara (paraṁ dhāma). According to Amara Kośa, dhāma means house, body, light and glory. That Brahman is You. You have no difference between Yourself and Your body, unlike the jīva. What type of body is this? It is supremely purifying, taking away the contamination of ignorance for the person who sees it (paramaṁ pavitram). Therefore all the ṛṣis speak of the eternality of You in the human form (śāśvataṁ puruṣam āhuḥ).

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

“Since they have been existing in the darkness of ignorance for such a long time, how is it possible that You can illuminate their hearts?” Not for the saniṣṭhas, but for those who cannot maintain their lives without Me, for My unalloyed devotees alone (teṣam eva), since they are worthy objects of My mercy (anukampārtham), I, situated with attachment for that soul (ātma bhāva sthaḥ), like a bee in the lotus flower, reveal in the ātmā My dazzling form and qualities, and destroy darkness in the form of desires for objects other than Myself born from ignorance in the form of beginningless karma which covers knowledge (ajṣāna jam tamaḥ), by means of the glowing lamp of knowledge concerning My form and qualities (jṣāna dīpena bhāsvatā). I, being satisfied with their exclusive devotion to Me, having the quality of being responsible for bestowing and preserving whatever they need (yoga kṣema), elevate their intelligence and destroy the ignorance within. I bear the responsibility for all this. They do not have to take pains for this at all. This has already been stated (with yoga kṣema vahāmy aham BG 9.22). The intelligent people understand that what is glorified in the Ninth and Tenth chapters, which are the very womb of the Gītā, [Note: They occur at the exact center of eighteen chapters.] is the essence of the Gītā. Bg 10.12, Bg 10.13, Bg 10.12-13 AJauRNa ovac Par& b]ø Par& DaaMa Paiv}a& ParMa& >avaNa( ) Pauṛz& XaaṅTa& idVYaMaaiddevMaJa& iv>auMa( )) 12 )) AahuSTvaMa*zYa" SaveR devizRNaaRrdSTaQaa ) AiSaTaae devl/ae VYaaSa" SvYa& cEv b]vqiz Mae )) 13 )) arjuna uvāca paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve devarṣir nāradas tathā asito devalo vyāsaḥ svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; param—supreme; brahma—truth; param—supreme; dhāma—sustenance; pavitram—pure; paramam—supreme; bhavān—You; puruṣam—personality; śāśvatam—eternal; divyam—transcendental; ādi-devam—the original Lord; ajam—unborn; vibhum—greatest; āhuḥ—say; tvām—of You; ṛṣayaḥ—sages; sarve—all; deva-ṛṣiḥ—the sage among the demigods; nāradaḥ—Nārada; tathā—also; asitaḥ—Asita; devalaḥ—Devala; vyāsaḥ—Vyāsa; svayam—personally; ca—also; eva—certainly; bravīṣī—You are explaining; me—unto me. Desiring to hear in detail the vibhūtis which he already heard in summary, Arjuna speaks. You are param brahma, which is described in the śrutis: satyaṁ jṣānam anantaṁ brahma: you are Brahman, eternity, knowledge and bliss. (Taittirīya Upanisad) You are that which acts as shelter of all things (param dhāma) described in the śrutis as tasminn evāśritāḥ sarve tad u nātyeti kaścana: all thing take shelter in Him alone, and nothing can surpass Him. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 5.8) You are supremely purifying (paramam pavitram): I know You as that object which destroys all sins of the person who remembers You. This is described in the śrutis: jṣātvā devaṁ mucyate sarva papaiḥ When the jīva knows the pure Lord, he is free of bondage. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.13 sarva-pāpaiḥ sarvaṁ pāpmānaṁ tarati nainaṁ pāpmā tarati The Lord surpasses all sin. Sin does not overcome Him. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.23 The sages, of which the chief are those such as Nārada, receiving Your mercy, understood the meaning of the Vedas. They thus call You the person beyond the modes, the source of all devas, unborn and powerful (divyaṁ puruṣam ādidevam ajaṁ vibhum). The Vedas say: tasmāt kṛṣṇa eva paro devas taṁ dhyāyet taṁ raset taṁ bhajet taṁ yajet Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. One should meditation upon Him, relish Him, serve Him, and worship Him. Goplāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.48 oṁ tat sat iti janma-jarābhyāṁ bhinnaḥ sthāṇur ayam acchedyo’yaṁ That which is called om tat sat cannot be cut, is fixed in form, and is different from things which are born and deteriorate. Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad 2.22 You yourself also say this in discussions on this topic in the purāṇas and histories. [Note: This includes Mahābhārata, which contains the Gītā.] For example in the Gītā you say ajo’pi sann avyayātma: I am unborn and indestructible but I appear in this world (divya puruṣa) (BG 4.6); yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca: He who knows Me as unborn and without beginning (ajam adidevam) (BG 10.3); and ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: I am the source of everything (vibhum).(BG 10.8).

Surrender Unto Me

"Krsna enters their hearts like a bee enters a lotus flower. And He removes all the ignorance. And He Himself expands in transcendental love within the heart of His devotees." ‑ says Viswanatha C. Thakura. This is real intelligence, when is coming from Krsna in this way. And this is love of God. When Krsna Himself takes up residence in the heart of the devotee, the heart is like 'dhama', it is the purified heart by which Krsna enters and manifests His pastimes, His loving exchanges, all His sakti, His internal energy. This summarizes actually the Bhagavad‑gita. By Krsna's mercy when the devotee is so eager, when he loves Krsna so much, Krsna reciprocates with that by entering his heart. Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "Man can go on speculating for several millions of years, and if he is not devoted, if he is not a lover of the Supreme Truth, he will never understand Krsna, or the Supreme Truth. Only by devotional service is the Supreme Truth, Krsna, pleased, and by His inconceivable energy He can reveal Himself to the heart of the pure devotee. The pure devotee always has Krsna within his heart; and with the presence of Krsna, who is just like the sun, the darkness of ignorance is at once dissipated. This is the special mercy rendered to the pure devotee by Krsna. Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one's heart is always covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Krsna, the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge. The ultimate goal, Visnu, can be attained only by this chant and by devotional service, and not by mental speculation or argument. The pure devotee does not have to worry about the material necessities of life; he need not be anxious, be when he removes the darkness from his heart, everything is provided automatically by the Supreme Lord, who is pleased by the loving devotional service of the devotee. This is the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad‑gita. By studying Bhagavad‑gita, one can become a soul completely surrendered to the Supreme Lord and engage himself in pure devotional service. As the Lord takes charge, one becomes completely free from all kinds of materialistic endeavors." Viswanatha C. Thakura says: "These verses are the essence of the Bhagavad‑gita. They remove the distress of the living entity and grant peace to him." Once one understands who Krsna is, then one can surrender; and when one surrenders to the shelter of the 'All‑powerful', 'All‑ knowing', 'All‑bliss granting', the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then one can feel secure; and only when one can feel secure, can he feel peaceful. It is said that a devotee lives in Krsna and because he is living in Krsna, then, that grants him peace even in the most difficult circumstance. He sees everything as Krsna's mercy and he knows that his existence is to serve his Lord with love and devotion, who is so merciful. Now in Section C, Arjuna responds to Krsna by accepting what Krsna has said and asking Him more, because Arjuna's 'apetite' has become weted by hearing of Krsna's glories. [C. ARJUNA'S ACCEPTANCE AND HIS REQUEST (10. 12‑18) 1. Arjuna, by referring to previous authorities, confirms Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and then declares that only Krsna can actually know His own position.(12‑15) ]