Bg. 3.41 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ । पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् ॥ ४१ ॥

Verse text

tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau niyamya bharatarṣabha pāpmānaṁ prajahi hy enaṁ jṣāna-vijṣāna-nāśanam

Synonyms

tasmāt — therefore ; tvam — you ; indriyāṇi — senses ; ādau — in the beginning ; niyamya — by regulating ; bharata-ṛṣabha — O chief amongst the descendants of Bharata ; pāpmānam — the great symbol of sin ; prajahi — curb ; hi — certainly ; enam — this ; jṣāna — of knowledge ; vijṣāna — and scientific knowledge of the pure soul ; nāśanam — the destroyer.

Translation

Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

41. Therefore, as a first step, by controlling the senses, O best of the Bharata lineage, kill this demon, which destroys knowledge and intelligence.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

41. Therefore, in the beginning, controlling the senses, O best of the Bhāratas, kill this demon, which destroys scriptural knowledge and realization.

Purport

The Lord advised Arjuna to regulate the senses from the very beginning so that he could curb the greatest sinful enemy, lust, which destroys the urge for self-realization and specific knowledge of the self. Jṣāna refers to knowledge of self as distinguished from non-self, or in other words, knowledge that the spirit soul is not the body. Vijṣāna refers to specific knowledge of the spirit soul’s constitutional position and his relationship to the Supreme Soul. It is explained thus in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.31) : jṣānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me yad vijṣāna-samanvitam sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā “The knowledge of the self and Supreme Self is very confidential and mysterious, but such knowledge and specific realization can be understood if explained with their various aspects by the Lord Himself.” Bhagavad-gītā gives us that general and specific knowledge of the self. The living entities are parts and parcels of the Lord, and therefore they are simply meant to serve the Lord. This consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, from the very beginning of life one has to learn this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thereby one may become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and act accordingly. Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead – the highest perfectional stage of human life.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The rule is that, by conquering the shelters of enemy, the enemy can be conquered. The shelters of lust are the senses, the mind and intelligence, which are respectively increasing difficult to conquer. The senses may be difficult to control, but they are easier to conquer than the other items. Therefore, first the senses should be conquered; you should control the senses. Though the uncontrollable mind wants to steal others’ wives or properties, one should not engage the senses, by carefully considering the situation of the functioning of the senses such as eyes, ear, hands or feet. Kill this ferocious lust (pāpmānam). This means that by restricting the senses, after some time the mind will become freed of lust. [Note: Previously stopping the senses was not recommended, since the mind still will dwell on sense objects. Here Kṛṣṇa is stating that the senses should be controlled by proper engagement, but not stopped, and this will help control the mind from dwelling on enjoyment. Mind and intelligence should also be controlled by suitable engagement, but ultimately, if effort is not made to understand the ātmā and develop taste in the ātmā, all endeavors to control senses, mind and intellect will be futile.]

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

This enemy in the form of lust by means of the senses inclined to material enjoyment covers the knowledge of the person striving for knowledge of ātmā who attempts to do so by stopping the actions of all the senses. Therefore, at the beginning of the dawning of knowledge (adau), after first regulating all the senses by engagement through niskāma karma yoga (niyamya), making them favorable to it, you, who possess a body, mind and senses made of matter, destroy (prajāhi) this evil enemy, lust. Do this because this lust covers up knowledge of scripture indicating ātmā distinct from the body (jṣāna), and realization of that ātmā (vijṣāna).

Surrender Unto Me

Because amongst the senses, the mind and the intelligence, the grossest is the senses. The mind is more subtle and the intelligence still more subtle. The senses are the easiest to control than to control the mind, therefore Krsna recommends that one should start by controlling his senses by regulating them. Vaidhi‑bhakti is the practice for regulating the senses. There is no other way to control the enemy ‑ lust. The intelligence is considered to be the next door neighbor to the Supersoul and its business is to be en garde from maya but the difficult is that the gard has been corrupted by lust. The intelligence has been bought up by lust. When the person who is supposed to be one's gard is employed by the enemy, then one is really in trouble. The intelligence must be continuosly beaten; practically speaking one who is in material consciousness should neglect his intelligence and accept the intelligence of the sastra ‑ because this intelligence has been bought up by the enemy, it is working under the service of lust. And Krsna concludes this Chapter with the final two verses: