BG 4.34
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Devanagari
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jṣānaṁ
jṣāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Synonyms
tat
—
that knowledge of different sacrifices
;
viddhi
—
try to understand
;
praṇipātena
—
by approaching a spiritual master
;
paripraśnena
—
by submissive inquiries
;
sevayā
—
by the rendering of service
;
upadekṣyanti
—
they will initiate
;
te
—
you
;
jṣānam
—
into knowledge
;
jṣāninaḥ
—
the self-realized
;
tattva
—
of the truth
;
darśinaḥ
—
seers.
Translation
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
34. Know this by surrender, questioning and service. The seers of truth, the jṣānīs, will teach you this knowledge.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
34. Know this by surrender, questioning and service. The seers of truth, the jṣānīs, will teach you this knowledge.
Purport
The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhāgavatam (6.3.19) says, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. Not only should one hear submissively from the spiritual master, but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse speaks of the method for attaining that knowledge. It is attained by offering respects, bowing down to the guru, the instructor; and by asking questions, such as “O master, why am I in this world of misery? How can this world of birth and death be stopped?” And it is attained by service to the guru. This is illustrated in the śruti:
tad vijṣānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
With fuel wood in his hand, the student should approach the guru, knowledgeable of the Vedas and fixed in Brahman, in order to attain knowledge of Brahman. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
After teaching knowledge of ātmā and the method of attaining that knowledge with its components, the Lord now teaches knowledge of worshipping the Lord’s svarūpa. To attain this knowledge a person must take association with devotees. That he teaches in this verse.
You who now know your svarūpa as ātmā, attain (viddhi) knowledge related to the paramātmā, through the saintly persons (jṣāninaḥ) who have been pleased with your humility and other qualifications, for which purpose I have already taught about both the jīva and paramātmā with verses such as avināśi tu tad viddhi. [Note: The Lord has taught about both in order that a person realizes both.] (BG 2.17)
Praṇipāta means offering respects like dandavats. Sevā means serving these devotees like menial servants. Paripraśna means to ask various questions about the Lord’s form, qualities and powers.
“But they will not teach this, since they are indifferent to the world.”
“These men with knowledge, who understand their own ātmā and the Supreme ātmā, seeing your desire to know, indicated through your obeisances, questions and service, will teach such a person as you that knowledge of the Lord, for having seen the truth (tattva darśinaḥ), they are merciful and preach that knowledge.”
“But tad in this verse refers to jīva not the Lord, since that has been the subject under discussion so far.”
“No this is not so. This is acceptable because Paramātmā is not a new subject having been discussed in such statement as na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ (BG 2.12), yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ (BG 2.61), ajo’pi sann avyayātmā (BG 4.6), and because knoweldge of jīvātmā is to be tauaght just in order to know the Supreme ātmā. Vedānta Sūtra says anyārthaś ca parāmarśaḥ : the reference has a different meaning (other than jīva). [Note: Rāmānuja explains the sūtra as follows. The individual Self which wishes to reach Brahman must know his own true nature also. By realizing that he is endowed with auspicious qualities, he will finally realize highest Brahman, which is a mass of auspicious qualities raised to the highest degree of excellence. Thus the Vedānta also argues for presenting knowledge of both the ātmā and the paramātmā.] (Vedānta Sūtra 1.3.20) Otherwise, there will be contradiction to the greatest compendium of knowledge, Vedānta Sūtras, which harmonizes the śrutis. What has been said therefore is correct.
Surrender Unto Me
This is how to attain this transcendental knowledge, because without approaching a spiritual master there is no question of achieving any transcendental knowledge. Initiation means to begin.
[ 2 . The fruit: Once having knowledge one never again falls into illusion, for he knows all living beings are in Krsna and are part of Him. (35)
Transcendental knowledge destroys all miseries, for it destroys all reactions to all material activities. It is the mature fruit of both mysticism and devotional service. (36‑38) ]