Bg. 2.46 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG 2.46

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Devanagari

यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके । तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥ ४६ ॥

Verse text

yāvān artha uda-pāne sarvataḥ samplutodake tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ

Synonyms

yāvān — all that ; arthaḥ — is meant ; uda-pāne — in a well of water ; sarvataḥ — in all respects ; sampluta-udake — in a great reservoir of water ; tāvān — similarly ; sarveṣu — in all ; vedeṣu — Vedic literatures ; brāhmaṇasya — of the man who knows the Supreme Brahman ; vijānataḥ — who is in complete knowledge.

Translation

All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

46. As the purposes of all wells are fulfilled by a large water body, so all the results of all types of worship mentioned in the Vedas are fulfilled just by knowing and worshiping the one Supreme God.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

46. As a person uses only as much water as he needs to fulfill his particular goals in a large water body, one who studies the Vedas and desires knowledge of ātmā achieves his goal of knowledge of ātmā from all the Vedas, and nothing else..

Purport

The rituals and sacrifices mentioned in the karma-kāṇḍa division of the Vedic literature are meant to encourage gradual development of self-realization. And the purpose of self-realization is clearly stated in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) : the purpose of studying the Vedas is to know Lord Kṛṣṇa, the primeval cause of everything. So, self-realization means understanding Kṛṣṇa and one’s eternal relationship with Him. The relationship of the living entities with Kṛṣṇa is also mentioned in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (15.7) . The living entities are parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa; therefore, revival of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by the individual living entity is the highest perfectional stage of Vedic knowledge. This is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.7) as follows: aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te “O my Lord, a person who is chanting Your holy name, although born of a low family like that of a caṇḍāla [dog-eater], is situated on the highest platform of self-realization. Such a person must have performed all kinds of penances and sacrifices according to Vedic rituals and studied the Vedic literatures many, many times after taking his bath in all the holy places of pilgrimage. Such a person is considered to be the best of the Āryan family.” So one must be intelligent enough to understand the purpose of the Vedas, without being attached to the rituals only, and must not desire to be elevated to the heavenly kingdoms for a better quality of sense gratification. It is not possible for the common man in this age to follow all the rules and regulations of the Vedic rituals, nor is it possible to study all of the Vedānta and the Upaniṣads thoroughly. It requires much time, energy, knowledge and resources to execute the purposes of the Vedas. This is hardly possible in this age. The best purpose of Vedic culture is served, however, by chanting the holy name of the Lord, as recommended by Lord Caitanya, the deliverer of all fallen souls. When Lord Caitanya was asked by a great Vedic scholar, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, why He, the Lord, was chanting the holy name of the Lord like a sentimentalist instead of studying Vedānta philosophy, the Lord replied that His spiritual master had found Him to be a great fool and thus asked Him to chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He did so, and became ecstatic like a madman. In this Age of Kali, most of the population is foolish and not adequately educated to understand Vedānta philosophy; the best purpose of Vedānta philosophy is served by inoffensively chanting the holy name of the Lord. Vedānta is the last word in Vedic wisdom, and the author and knower of the Vedānta philosophy is Lord Kṛṣṇa; and the highest Vedāntist is the great soul who takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord. That is the ultimate purpose of all Vedic mysticism.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The glory of bhakti-yoga, being niṣkāma and nirguṇa, is such that it goes without saying that it is without loss or sin, even if started and discontinued. That even a little performance of bhakti makes one successful is stated by Uddhava in the Eleventh Canto. na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process. SB 11.29.20 However, even bhakti with material desire (sakāma-bhakti) is known by the term vyavasāyātmikā buddhi (since there is worship of only one person). This is shown through an example. The singular case is used to indicate a whole class of wells. “Whatever purposes the wells serve” is the meaning of yāvān artha udapāne. Some wells are used for cleaning the body after passing nature. Some others are used for brushing teeth. Others are used for washing clothing. Others are used for washing hair. Others are used for bathing. Others are used for drinking water. All the purposes of all the different wells are served by a large body of water like a lake. In that one lake, one can perform all the activities such as cleaning the body or brushing the teeth. Whereas by using different wells for different purposes, one becomes tired of wandering around, that is not the case in using the lake. The outstanding quality of the lake water however is its sweet taste, whereas that of the well is not tasty. Thus, whatever purposes are served by worship of all the devatās mentioned in all the Vedas are achieved through worship of the one Supreme Lord, by the person in knowledge, one who knows the Vedas (brāhmaṇasya). He who knows the Veda (brahma), is called brāhmaṇa. One may know the Vedas, but one who knows the import of the Vedas, bhakti, is a special knower (viśeṣato jānataḥ = vijānataḥ). It is said in the Second Canto of Bhāgavatam: brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu yajeta brahmaṇaḥ patim indram indriya-kāmas tu prajā-kāmaḥ prajāpatim One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas, one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajāpatis. SB 2.3.3 But then it is said: akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead. SB 2.3.10 Just as the sunshine, unmixed with clouds or other obstructions, is intense, bhakti-yoga, unmixed with jṣāna, karma or other pollutants, is intense (tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena). One attains fulfillment of many desires by worshipping many devatās. This requires many types of mental concentration. But one can attain all those desires from the one Supreme Lord, from just one portion of ones concentration on the one Lord. One should understand that this concentration on one personality (and attaining many goals) arises from the excellent qualities possessed by the object of concentration, the Lord.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

“How will this intelligence arise in one who must study all the Vedas? That study will take a long time, and there is thus possibility of diversion.” In one large body of water whatever amount of water a person wanting to bathe or drink needs, that much alone is used by the him from that body of water (he does not use the whole lake). In all the Vedas, including the Upaniṣads, whatever serves the goal of attainment of knowledge of ātmā, that much alone from the Vedas is used by the person who studies the Vedas (brāhmaṇasya) and desires knowledge of ātmā (vijānataḥ). [Note: This is the meaning taken by Rāmānuja.] That intelligence will appear quickly in the mind, by knowledge of the Upaniṣads in his particular branch of the Vedas. In this example, the words yāvān and tāvān should be supplied in both lines of the verse.

Surrender Unto Me

This Chapter is called "Contents of the Gita Summarized" because so many have been summarized in this Chapter and will be expanded throughout the entire B.gita.