36.api cheth asi paapebhyaH sarvebhyaH paapakrthamaH
sarvam jnaanplavenaiva vrjinam samtharishyasi
Even if you are worst sinner, paapakrtthama, among all the sinners, With jnana as a boat, plava, you will cross over,samtharishyasi, all sins vrjinam (as in a river)
Then
37. yaThaa eDhaamsi samidDhaH agniH bhasmasaath
kuruthe arjuna
jnaanaagniH sarvakarmaaNi bhasmasaath kuruthe thaThaa
As a fire, agniH, when kindled, samidDhaH, reduces all fuel, eDhaamsi, to ashes, bhasamasaath kuruthe, the jnana burns all karma to ashes.
How does jnana destroy sin ? The answer is proffered with an example. as a kindled fire reduces all fuel to ashes the fire of knowledge reduces all work to ashes.. The idea is that the knowledge which gives right perception robs all karma of the power to produce result. Here ` all karma' means the karma accumulated in the past lives, sanchitha, which has not yet started to produce result and that which is done after the dawn of knowledge, aagaami. The karma which has caused the present birth praarabdha, has to be exhausted.
38. na hi jnaanena sadhrSam pavithram iha vidhyathe
thath svyam yogasamsidDhah kaalena aathmani vindhathi
There is no greater purifying agent than the jnana. The one well equipped with yoga acquires this knowledge in due course.
39. SradDahaavaan labhathe jnaanam thathparaH
samyathendhriyaH
jnaanam labDhvaa paraam Santhim achirena aDhigacchathi
The one who has absolute faith gets this knowledge being intent on acquiring it and by self control. Then having acquired the jnana he enjoys utmost peace very soon
There is no greater purifier than jnana, which like fire burns all impurities due to karma. All the other purifying agents, internal like yama, dama, dhyana, japa and the rest and external ones like visiting temples, religious austerities, bathing in the holy rivers and so on are only the means of acquiring jnana. `Pavithraanaam pavithram yo mangalaanaam cha mangalam, `says Bhishma in his discourse on Vishnusahasranama. The Lord is purity in the pure and auspiciousness in the auspicious .So the knowledge of the Lord who is the Supreme Self is the purifier of all .One who practices Karmayoga and dhyanayoga, yoga of action and yoga of meditation acquires this knowledge in course of time, through sraddha, absolute faith. provided he is intent on it, thathparah and through self control, samyathendhriyah, when he attains the supreme peace instantaneously.
The secret of success even in the worldly pursuits comes only to him who is sraddhaavan, thathparah and samyathendhriyah. When for instance a man aims to become a great business magnate, he requires these three qualifications. He must have faith in his endeavour as otherwise half hearted effort will not fetch the desired result, he must be intent on his pursuit and he must have absolute control over himself and be ready to sacrifice all his other pleasures for the sake of his success in business. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, all the principles taught to the management trainees in modern days are found in Bhagavatgita.
40. ajnaScha aSradDhadhaanaScha samSsyaathmaa vinaSyathi
naayam loko asthi na parah na sukham samSyaathmanaH
The ignorant, ajnaH and the one who has no faith, aSradDhadhaanaH and the one who doubts (the validity of this jnana) are lost for ever and for them there is no happiness in this world and in the next.
That liberation follows from the right perception is the unshakable doctrine established in all the sasthras. There can be no doubt regarding this and the one who doubts this and has no faith can never hope to attain happiness either in this life or the next.
Without faith nothing can be achieved as for instance when you ask for directions to a place you have to have faith in the one who directs you. Similarly one who has no faith in scriptures or in the word of the saints will not acquire wisdom. A man who digs for water will get it only if he digs deep enough in one place and not if he tries in different places giving up each one after a little effort.
The word doubt should not be confused with enquiry. Earlier
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