Bhagavad Gita · Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga YogaChapter 13, Shloka 17 (13.17)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते
ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम्
॥ 13.17 ॥
jyotiṣāmapi tajjyotistamasaḥ paramucyate
jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ jñānagamyaṃ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam
Translation
"It is the light even of lights, and is said to be beyond darkness; it is knowledge, the knowable, and that which is reached through knowledge — and it dwells in the hearts of all."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. ātmacaitanyajyotiṣā iddhāni hi ādityādīni jyotīṃṣi dīpyante — it is by the light of the Self's consciousness that the sun and other lights shine; authority, Shvetashvatara 6.14; tamasaḥ ajñānāt param.
Acharya Ramanuja. dīpādityādīnām api ātmaprabhārūpaṃ jñānam eva prakāśakam — even for the lamp and the sun, it is the knowledge of the self that illumines; dīpādayaḥ tu … saṃtamasanirasanamātraṃ kurvate — lamps only remove darkness (it is knowledge that sees).
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.