Bhagavad Gita · Jnana Karma Sannyasa YogaChapter 4, Shloka 9 (4.9)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन
॥ 4.9 ॥
janma karma ca me divyamevaṃ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṃ punarjanma naiti māmeti so'rjuna
Translation
"O Arjuna! My birth and my deeds are divine — whoever knows this in truth does not take birth again on leaving the body; that person comes to me."
Interpretation
"Divya" — beyond the ordinary.
- Shankaracharya: janma māyā-rūpam, karma ca sādhūnāṃ paritrāṇādi — the birth is in the form of maya, the deeds are the protection of the good and so on; divyam aprākṛtam aiśvaram — divine, non-material, belonging to the Lord.
- Acharya Ramanuja: of the Lord who is karma-mūla-bhūta-heya-triguṇa-prakṛti-saṃsarga-rūpa-janma-rahitasya — free from the (lowly) kind of birth that arises from karma and consists in contact with prakriti of the three gunas — and who is endowed with all auspicious qualities, the birth and deeds, sādhu-paritrāṇa-mat-samāśrayaṇaika-prayojanam — whose one purpose is to protect the good and give them refuge in himself — are divyam aprākṛtam mad-asādhāraṇam — divine, non-material, mine alone. For whoever knows this in truth, the sins mat-samāśrayaṇa-virodhi (that stand in the way of taking refuge in me) are destroyed, and asmin eva janmani — in this very birth — taking refuge in me and holding me alone as dear, that person attains me.
"Tattvataḥ" — knowing in truth. Not just hearing the story; understanding that the Lord's birth comes not from the bondage of karma but from compassion, and that his deeds are for the welfare of the world.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.