Gita 05.16 – Knowledge illumines our inner territory and reveals the indwelling Lord
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ
yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ
teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ
prakāśayati tat param (Bg 5.16)
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.
Explanation:
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ: By knowledge, that ignorance (described in the previous verse)
yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ: is destroyed for the soul.
teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ: That knowledge is like the sun,
prakāśayati tat param: which illumines the supreme truth, the transcendental reality.
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa explains how knowledge illumines us, just like the sun, dispelling darkness. The phrase ‘tat param’ refers to spiritual truth. Kṛṣṇa will elaborate on this ‘tat’ in the next verse, where He says tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas—to fix our consciousness on that Absolute Truth.
Here, the transformational role of knowledge in a seeker’s life is emphasized. A famous Vedic aphorism says, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya—go from darkness to light. This does not simply refer to moving from a physically dark place to one filled with light, but rather to an internal journey—moving our consciousness from ignorance, which creates inner darkness, to knowledge, which brings illumination.
When we are in external darkness, we cannot discern where to go—where there is a wall, a ditch, a trap, or a pathway. Everything is concealed. In the same way, when our inner world is clouded by ignorance, we cannot recognize which desires to cultivate and which to reject, what actions to take and what to avoid. In the darkness of inner ignorance, our direction becomes obscured.
Suppose there is a war, and on the battlefield it is dark. Both armies stand facing each other and fighting, but in the darkness the soldiers cannot tell whether the person approaching is an ally or an enemy. Mistaking someone for a friend, one may embrace him, only to be stabbed in return. To prevent such mistakes and betrayals, light is essential.
In fact, to avoid such confusion, battles in the past—when fought according to proper codes of warfare—would stop at night. Soldiers would cease fighting until daylight. This was also the practice in the Mahābhārata war on most days. That is why Aśvatthāmā’s killing of the Pāṇḍavas’ children and others while they were asleep in the darkness of night was considered so reprehensible.
The point is that just as we may mistake enemies for friends in the dark, similarly, when our consciousness is covered by the darkness of ignorance, we mistake inimical desires for amicable ones. We take the very desires that will hurt us to be the ones that will benefit us. Believing that desires leading to misery will bring happiness, we end up embracing our enemies unwittingly.
The soul, under the influence of ignorance, imagines that manipulating and controlling matter will bring happiness. With this misconception, the soul strives to dominate matter more and more according to its own schemes. Even if such control is achieved temporarily, the very intention to control binds the soul with attachment to matter and ultimately makes it controlled by matter.
Our real happiness lies beyond matter—in loving reciprocation with Kṛṣṇa at the spiritual level. The desire to love and serve Kṛṣṇa—or, as in the stage of the Bhagavad-gītā here, even the basic realization that “I am a soul and liberation with lasting happiness is possible at the spiritual level”—is a benevolent, uplifting desire, a friendly desire. In contrast, the desire to manipulate and enjoy matter is a dangerous desire, one that misleads and harms us.
However, under the influence of ignorance and the darkness it creates within us, we mistake the very desires that cause bondage and misery to be the ones that will bring freedom and happiness. In this way, the soul becomes bound.
In the previous verse, it was stated, ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ—because of ignorance, the soul is deluded. Covered by ignorance, the soul acts in illusion, and such action under illusion leads to bondage.
Now, Kṛṣṇa explains that when we acquire spiritual knowledge, our inner landscape becomes illumined as if the sun has risen within. Just as the sunrise brings light and brightness everywhere, giving clear vision, similarly, knowledge enables us to see clearly and to distinguish between beneficial and harmful desires. We understand that acting without selfish intent leads to liberation, whereas acting for self-centered bodily enjoyment leads to bondage. Beyond this, tat param—we perceive the higher spiritual truth.
This verse marks the yogi’s transition from ātma-jñāna to Paramātmā-jñāna. Through the acquisition of knowledge and consistent practice of karma-yoga, the yogi eventually reaches the stage of prakāśayati tat param—beginning to perceive the Absolute Truth, who is ultimately Kṛṣṇa. When we come to know Kṛṣṇa, liberation follows.
Until now, the yogi’s focus has been on self-purification—on meditating and realizing, “I am the soul, and I should not remain bound in material existence.” But with prakāśayati tat param, this verse signifies a turning point: the yogi, having perceived the Absolute Truth—the Supersoul within the heart—begins to focus on Him. This will be further described in tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas (Bhagavad-gītā 5.17). By fixing one’s consciousness in this way, gacchanty apunar-āvṛttiṁ—one moves straight on the path to liberation, never to return to material bondage.
Knowledge illumines our inner landscape, enabling us to correctly recognize our friends and enemies, and ultimately reveals the Absolute Truth. By meditating on that Truth, we attain liberation. This is the glorious knowledge that awaits every sincere spiritual seeker.
As the Bhagavad-gītā unfolds, it will be explained that the highest spiritual knowledge is the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa Himself, and that such knowledge is most easily attained through bhakti-yoga. That will be revealed in the later chapters. For now, it is sufficient to note that Kṛṣṇa emphasizes how, by renouncing work mentally and acting with detachment, one advances, attains knowledge, and through that knowledge pursues realization of the Supersoul—thereby walking the pathway to liberation.
Thank you.
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