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BG 4.38 — 4.38 Verily, there is no purifier in this world like knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in time.
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न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते |
तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति ||४-३८||

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ pavitramiha vidyate . tatsvayaṃ yogasaṃsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati ||4-38||


4.38 Verily, there is no purifier in this world like knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in time.

Word-by-word meanings

4.38 न not? हि verily? ज्ञानेन to wisdom? सदृशम् like? पवित्रम् pure? इह here (in this world)? विद्यते is? तत् that? स्वयम् oneself? योगसंसिद्धः perfected in Yoga? कालेन in time? आत्मनि in the Self? विन्दति finds.Commentary There exists no purifier eal to knowledge of the Self. He who has attained perfection by the constant practice of Karma Yoga and Dhyana Yoga (the Yoga of meditation) will? after a time? find the knowledge of the Self in himself.

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

4.38 Hi, indeed; na vidyate, there is nothing; pavitram, purifying, sanctifying; iha, here; sadrsam, comparable; jnanena, to Knowledge. Yoga-samsiddhah, one who has become perfected, who as attained fitness through yoga-the seeker after Liberation who has become samsiddhah, purified, qualified; yogena, through the yoga of Karma and the yoga of concentration-; kalena, after a long time; vindati, realizes, i.e. attains; tat, That, Knowledge; verily svayam, by himself; atmani, in his own heart. That means by which Knowledge is invariably attained is being taught:

(Showing excerpt)

Swami Gambirananda

4.38 Indeed, there is nothing purifying here comparable to Knowledge. One who has become perfected after a (long) time through yoga, realizes That by himself in his own heart.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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