Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 18.22

yat tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin
kārye saktam ahaitukam
atattvārtha-vad alpaṁ ca
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam

Synonyms: 

yat — that which; tu — but; kṛtsna–vat — as all in all; ekasmin — in one; kārye — work; saktam — attached; ahaitukam — without cause; atattva–artha–vat — without knowledge of reality; alpam — very meager; ca — and; tat — that; tāmasam — in the mode of darkness; udāhṛtam — is said to be.

Translation: 

And that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager, is said to be in the mode of darkness.

We are discussing Gyanam, Karam and Karta within three modes.

In verses 20 and 21, we discussed Gyana in goodness and Gyana in passion.

Let us move to 22 knowledge in ignorance. This seems to be paradox of content as knowledge and ignorance are considered to be opposite. Let us see what is this knowledge in ignorance is.

yat tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin, ekasmin, if there is only one thing in reality so to consider one part of reality is the totality of reality, that is knowledge in the mode of ignorance, so tu kṛtsna-vad means everything, so to think of ekasmin, is one thing, to think of one thing to be everything, that is tat tāmasam udāhṛtam, so that is first thing other thing is kārye saktam ahaitukam, that is to attached to one activity as if it is a totality, as if it is everything, ahaitukam, the word ahaitukam is normally used in positive sense, to refer to ahaituki Bhakti, that is how we use it, but here ahaitukam refers to causeless in the sense of being logic less, sense less, so it is not in the sense of transcendental or unmotivated or pure, it is in sense of having no rational no intelligent basis to things  

atattvārtha-vad alpaṁ ca, atattva + artha-vad, that which is having any tattva Artha, that which is not having any true meaning to it, tattva Artha, true value to it.

alpaṁ ca, and that deals with only a part of reality. It is a meager knowledge it is not complete knowledge. 

tat tāmasam udāhṛtam, that is knowledge in the mode of ignorance.

Krishna is giving general characteristic of knowledge in ignorance not calling for specific things. And depending on time place and circumstances some is classified as goodness, passion and ignorance. 

Here Krishna is talking about knowledge which makes one attached to one fragment of reality as if it is complete reality. Ekasmin kārye saktam 

tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin, one thinks of one thing to be complete

tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin, and one is too attached to things not understanding the completeness not understanding the reality or totality, for example materialism today is considered progressive, spiritualist are considered old fashioned, pre-scientific, mythology based, ideas of different religion dogmas, but this is assuming a part of reality as totality. This is knowledge in ignorance. 

 As we are not matter based creatures. Matter is just an outer covering it is not an inner substance. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur said about such knowledge that Jiva Ke Karaye Gadha, such knowledge makes a person no better than donkey.

So working hard for value less purpose is not desired. 

yat tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin

ekasmin, one take one aspect of reality and think that is complete.

kārye saktam ahaitukam

when one is attached and without logical basis, e.g. the theory that consciousness comes from matter.

Going back to Vidya Abilase song, he is saying 

Jada Vidya Jata – 

Mayera Vaibhava – false opulence or opulence is illusion

(below are the two consequences of it)

Jiva Ke Karaye Gadha – 

Tomara Bhajane badha

Louis Pasteur has said: Little of science takes one away from God but immersion in science brings one back to God.

So this is knowledge in ignorance where one assume fragment of reality as the totality of reality. 

So when Krishna is analyzing in this way the thrust is don’t leave in ignorance try to live in goodness.

End of transcription.