Gita 04.34 – Learn from guru how to do karma as yajna and attain jnana
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Word-for-word
tat — that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi — try to understand; praṇipātena — by approaching a spiritual master; paripraśnena — by submissive inquiries; sevayā — by the rendering of service; upadekṣyanti — they will initiate; te — you; jñānam — into knowledge; jñāninaḥ — the self-realized; tattva — of the truth; darśinaḥ — seers.
Translation
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
Explanation
This verse marks a shift in focus—from yajña (sacrifice) to jñāna (knowledge).
The central question in the Gītā has been whether Arjuna should act or not act. Krishna clarified that Arjuna should indeed act, but act in the spirit of sacrifice (4.23). From 4.24–33, Krishna explained how the principle of sacrifice pervades all activities and culminates in knowledge (jñāne pari samāpyate).
Now, if the ultimate result of sacrifice is knowledge, a natural question arises:
“If knowledge is the goal, and there are so many ways of performing yajña, what should Arjuna do in practice?”
To answer this, Krishna directs Arjuna to approach a spiritual master (tattva-darśī), one who has realized the truth.
Krishna is essentially saying: “Knowledge can be acquired in many ways—through dravya-yajña (charity), jñāna-yajña (study), tapo-yajña (austerity), by living as a renunciate, or as a householder (4.25–29). But in your case, what you should specifically do—that is something only a realized teacher can guide you in. Therefore, approach a guru.”
When commentators discuss this verse, the emphasis is often placed on the attitude with which one should approach the spiritual master. Krishna lists three qualities:
Praṇipātena – submission, humility
Paripraśnena – inquiry, inquisitiveness
Sevayā – service, dedication
We can summarize these as S.I.S.:
Submission
Inquiry
Service
Or, if we replace submission with humility, we can form H.I.S.—standing for Humility, Inquisitiveness, and Service—reminding us that it is ultimately His grace, Krishna’s grace, that comes through the guru’s grace.
Humility means acknowledging: “I don’t know the way.”
Inquisitiveness means desiring: “I want to know the way.”
Service-mindedness means resolving: “I want to walk the way.”
Without this threefold disposition, genuine learning cannot take place.
The Vedānta-sūtra begins with an inquiry: What is the purpose of life? What is spiritual reality? Who am I?
It is not enough to merely ask these questions and hear the answers. Suppose I acknowledge, “I don’t know the way,” and then approach a spiritual master. The guru may show me the way—but my journey does not end there. I must walk that path, and for this, the attitude of service is essential. Without service, we remain stuck. We may accumulate intellectual information, but without the willingness to serve and apply, knowledge does not transform us. As the verse says, upadekṣyanti te jñānam—when we approach with humility, inquisitiveness, and service attitude, then realized souls impart knowledge.
At this stage in the Bhagavad-gītā (Chapter 4), Krishna has not yet elaborated on the concepts of Bhagavān or bhakti in depth. The focus here is on knowledge (jñāna). Verse 4.33 concluded with jñāne pari samāpyate—all sacrifices culminate in knowledge. The natural question then arises: how can this knowledge be acquired? The answer: through those who already possess it. That is the qualification of the tattva-darśī—one who has seen and realized the truth.
Interestingly, the Gītā uses the plural: jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ—“the knowers of truth.” This indicates that genuine spiritual knowledge is not confined to a single individual; there are realized souls across time and tradition who can guide us on the path.
This means we should not adopt an exclusivist attitude—restricting ourselves to only one spiritual teacher. Rather, we connect ourselves to a sampradāya, a living tradition, where we can learn from multiple spiritual teachers. Through their collective guidance, we grow and progress on the path of life. Of course, we do have one dīkṣā-guru, who formally initiates us. But along with that, we also benefit from many śikṣā-gurus—instructing teachers from whom we learn in different ways. By honoring and learning from all of them, we continue to move forward in spiritual life. In the context of this verse (Bhagavad-gītā 4.34), the focus now shifts from yajña to jñāna. From verse 34 through 42, Krishna glorifies jñāna—the knowledge that Arjuna was considering renouncing action to gain. Krishna explains that such knowledge can also arise through action, if action is performed properly and in the spirit of detachment. If Arjuna works with the right mood—acting without attachment to results—knowledge will naturally blossom in his heart. To understand what kind of work to perform and how to perform yajña in this spirit, Arjuna is directed to seek guidance from a spiritual master, or more broadly, from a community of enlightened souls. Such realized teachers will instruct him on how best to practice dharma.
In this way, Arjuna will gain the knowledge that frees one from bondage and leads to liberation.
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