Chapter 4: Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga – Renunciation of Actions through Enlightenment: Verse 37
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन ।
ज्ञानाग्नि: सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥
yathaidhāṃsi samiddho’gnir-bhasmasāt-kurute’rjuna
jñānāgni: sarva-karmāṇi bhasmasāt-kurute tathā – 4.37
Just as blazing fire reduces all the firewood into ash, the fire of Knowledge burns off all karmas into mere ash.
Chapter 4: Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga – Renunciation of Actions through Enlightenment - Verse 37
Ma Gurupriya
Activity is generally intended to gain objective outcomes, like walking to reach a destination, eating to appease hunger and bathing to clean the body. Long-term pursuits like studies, lasting for decades, are also there. Any act aims at its fruition. Spirituality does not refer to objective outcomes, ingrained in activities themselves.
Subjective results like sin and virtue, good and bad, favourable and unfavourable run in parallel. They fall under desirable, undesirable and their mixture.
Krishna’s statement is linked to Arjuna’s primary confession: “We are out for a colossal sin.” (1.45) Krishna assures no such sin would be, as the fire of wisdom burns away all mental effects of actions. What a great relief, assurance and hope!
Spiritual knowledge is like light on darkness. Even long- prevailing darkness of a cave flees when a lamp is lit there. Ignorance makes one think of sin. It vanishes in front of wisdom.
