Devanagari
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन ।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥ ३७ ॥
Verse text
yathaidhāṁsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sāt kurute ’rjuna
jṣānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi
bhasma-sāt kurute tathā
Synonyms
yathā
—
just as
;
edhāṁsi
—
firewood
;
samiddhaḥ
—
blazing
;
agniḥ
—
fire
;
bhasma-sāt
—
ashes
;
kurute
—
turns
;
arjuna
—
O Arjuna
;
jṣāna-agniḥ
—
the fire of knowledge
;
sarva-karmāṇi
—
all reactions to material activities
;
bhasma-sāt
—
to ashes
;
kurute
—
it turns
;
tathā
—
similarly.
Translation
As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
37. As a blazing fire burns to ashes all fuel wood, the fire of knowledge turns to ashes all actions.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
37. As a blazing fire burns to ashes all fuel wood, the fire of knowledge turns all actions to ashes.
Purport
Perfect knowledge of self and Superself and of their relationship is compared herein to fire. This fire not only burns up all reactions to impious activities, but also all reactions to pious activities, turning them to ashes. There are many stages of reaction: reaction in the making, reaction fructifying, reaction already achieved, and reaction a priori. But knowledge of the constitutional position of the living entity burns everything to ashes. When one is in complete knowledge, all reactions, both a priori and a posteriori, are consumed. In the Vedas ( Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22) it is stated, ubhe uhaivaiṣa ete taraty amṛtaḥ sādhv-asādhūnī: “One overcomes both the pious and impious reactions of work.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Knowledge arising from purity of heart destroys all karmas except the prārabdha-karmas. [Note: Prārabdha-karmas are those which are being experienced in this life. Aprārabdha-karmas are those which are waiting for future life times, not this life. Jṣāna destroys the aprārabdha-karmas but not the prārabdha-karmas. Bhakti destroys all karmas.] This verse illustrates with an example. Samiddhaḥ means “blazing.”
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
It has just been said that sinful reactions are destroyed by brahma vidyā (knowledge of the Lord and ātmā). Now this verse says that even puṇya karmas are destroyed by brahma vidyā.
Just as blazing (samiddhaḥ) fire turns fuel wood (edhāṁsi) to ashes, the fire of knowledge, the fire of realization of ones own ātmā and paramātmā, turns to ashes all reactions, including those arising from pious acts, but not the prārabdha reactions. That knowledge burns up all accumulated past karmas which are like reeds but not the prārabdha ones. And that knowledge also transforms the actions performed in the present life, and makes them like drops of water rolling off a lotus leaf, having no reactions. Though the prārabdha karmas are extremely weakened by the influence of this knowledge, they are still situated in the person with realization of ātmā, by the will of the Lord, in order to preach the proper path of conduct. [Note: If the prārabdha karmas were completely destroyed, the body of the devotee, the result of prārabdha karma, would also disappear, and thus there would be no one to preach the Lord’s message.]
The śruti says:
ubhe uhaivaiṣa ete taraty amṛtaḥ sādhvasādhunī
The realizer of Braman overcomes all reactions to sinful and piety actions (sādhvasādhunī), of both accumulated and present types (ubhe).
Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22
The meaning of the verse is this. The realizer of Brahman (eṣa) overcomes the past reactions (except prārabdha) and presently accruing reactions by actions in this life (ubhe) in the form of pious and sinful reactions (sādhvasādhunī).
The author of the Sūtras says:
tad-adhigama uttara-pūrvārdhayor aśleṣa-vināśau tad-vyapadeśāt
On attaining this, there is destruction previous sins and non-clinging of future sins. Because it is declared. Vedānta Sūtra 4.1.13
Surrender Unto Me
When one thinks that transcendental knowledge is going to destroy all the reactions to activities normally he thinks about sinful reactions and he is eager to welcome the pious reactions, let me enjoy them. But actually transcendental knowledge burns to ashes both, pious and sinful activities.