Now in next verse Lord Sri Krishna will tell us how we become free from ignorance:

Bg 5.16

jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ

yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ

teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ

prakāśayati tat param

Word for word: 

jñānena — by knowledge; tu — but; tat — that; ajñānam — nescience; yeṣām — whose; nāśitam — is destroyed; ātmanaḥ — of the living entity; teṣām — their; āditya–vat — like the rising sun; jñānam — knowledge; prakāśayati — discloses; tat param — Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Translation: 

When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.

 

jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ – tat -> that -> this refers to the previous verse, the gyana is covered but jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ, by gyana ajnana can be removed 

yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ -> ātmanaḥ The soul’s ignorance can be destroyed and when that happens? when that knowledge comes; what is the nature of that knowledge? āditya-vaj jñānaṁ -> Aditya means Sun, that knowledge arises like the sun and prakāśayati -> that illuminates what does it illuminate? tat param -> that absolute truth. Srila Prabhupada translates Krishna Consciousness, now this is a significant verse which is marking transition from atma gnana to parmatma gnana.

So when the Karma Yogi keeps on practicing Karma Yoga with detachment and gradually the knowledge awakens, when the knowledge awakens that time there is inner illumination and in that illumination living entity not only understands one’s own identity that I am not the body I am the soul but also presence of Supreme God that Supreme Lord is present in my heart, he is my well-wisher and he is object of my devotion, the object of my sacrifice the goal of my life, so when that is prakāśayati tat param, that is the supreme illumination, that knowledge arises like the sun, when there is darkness we may try to find torch and move forward, in torch we can see little bit in which every direction we wanted to see we can move the torch but how much we can see with the torch but when Sun arises everything become evident we can see all directions we can see long-long distance ahead.

We practice Sadhana Bhakti we use our scriptural knowledge, we use our intelligence which we have developed based on scriptures, and we try to see but that is like a torch we are able to see little bit, of course we need the torch by which we can see little distance and keep moving forward but as we become purified, as we make spiritual advancement then sun of spiritual wisdom arises in our heart and things become clearer and clearer and clearer, so that’s how the clarity comes teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ -> this knowledge is like the sun and  prakāśayati tat param -> Darkness is destroyed by this knowledge the inner darkness is removed and then inner world become clear and comprehensible, We can start seeing and not only seeing we can start understanding, if I do like this, this is how my condition will increase, if I do like this I will do advancement, this is the way I should move forward in my spiritual life, so things will become clear and comprehensible for us so that is how we will move forward prakāśayati tat param -> So that Tat refers to the absolute truth, so here Krishna has not told what that Tat is He will tell by end of Chapter 5.29 Bhokta Ram Yajna Tpaan Jyatma Mam, Me has absolute truth, but here He is saying the Karma Yogi comes to know understand by that knowledge Tat Param, that absolute truth become revealed, that absolute truth become focus of ones practices.

As I am not body I am soul therefore I should not get entangled with material things, let me work with detachment one connection with absolute truth and once meditation on absolute truth increases Tat Param, how that meditation happens Sri Krishna will explain in next verse.

Srila Prabhupada: One can know God and one’s relationship with God only when one actually meets a representative of God.

Meaning of this is soul is present in body and it is having gyana but it is covered by illusion, when in contact with other soul (representative of God), that gyana illuminates and that gyana starts removing this ignorance and the inner knowledge facility also kindle and that is how the person become more and more spiritually aware/ devotionally aware. The candle has the potency to lit and give light but it has to be lit by another source of light, the gyana is removed by somebody else who has got gyana. Now Sri Krishna is talking about gyana that culminate in Bhakti, this is not Atma Gyana, Atma Gyana someone may know by inner contemplation e.g. Socrates also understand that I am not body I am soul that is why he was fearless, and he consoles his friend who has lost his wife by giving many reasons of the immortality of the soul. 

Now one can understand Atma but understanding Parmatama is difficult. It can happen when one is connected with the spiritual master. So we need a representative of God. There is inner darkness and there is outer illumination, outer illumination starts activating our inner flame or as the flame increases more and more the inner illumination increases more and more and it becomes like a sun where everything is clear then we can see the Supreme Lord in our own heart.  

Interestingly mayavadi says that oneness is sign of illumination, diversity is illusion, ultimately everything is one, see oneness, don’t see diversity, they wanted to unify humanize now, Srila Prabhupada says oneness is not sign of illumination but oneness is sign of darkness, how? Srila Prabhupada says here: At night we see everything as one in the darkness, but in the day, when the sun is up, we see everything in its real identity. Identity with individuality in spiritual life is real knowledge. So if I come to a room which is dark I cannot see anything in the room, all I can see is darkness, oneness is darkness but when light comes I can see there is a chair here, there is a table here, there is a friend seated over there, there is a picture of Krishna there. Of course in Spiritual illumination one sees everything connected to Sri Krishna, in material darkness one does not see any connection with Sri Krishna, they see variety and think that everything is for my enjoyment, it is like illusion Jagat Mithya, so as we move forward we see variety and we see on unity, also variety in existence is there but unity in purpose is there. Everything is meant for the service of Sri Krishna.