Bhagavad Gita · Karma Sannyasa YogaChapter 5, Shloka 16 (5.16)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः
तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम्
॥ 5.16 ॥
jñānena tu tadajñānaṃ yeṣāṃ nāśitamātmanaḥ
teṣāmādityavajjñānaṃ prakāśayati tatparam
Translation
"But for those whose ignorance has been destroyed by knowledge of the self, their knowledge, like the sun, illuminates that Supreme (reality)."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya — knowledge reveals the supreme reality. Yeṣāṃ jantūnāṃ viveka-jñānena ātma-viṣayeṇa nāśitam — those beings whose ignorance has been destroyed by discerning knowledge of the self; yathā ādityaḥ samastaṃ rūpa-jātam avabhāsayati tadvat jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ vastu sarvaṃ prakāśayati tat paraṃ paramārtha-tattvam — just as the sun reveals all forms, so knowledge illuminates that supreme, ultimate reality. Here "tat param" — the supreme truth that is to be known.
Acharya Ramanuja — the self's natural knowledge blossoms. Teṣāṃ tat svābhāvikaṃ paraṃ jñānaṃ aparimitam asaṃkucitam ādityavat sarvaṃ yathāvasthitaṃ prakāśayati — their own natural, unlimited, uncontracted supreme knowledge, like the sun, shows everything just as it is. Two more points:
- Teṣām iti … bahutvābhidhānād ātma-svarūpa-bahutvam — "teṣām" (their) is plural, so selves are many — as said in 2.12; na ca idaṃ bahutvam upādhi-kṛtam — and this plurality is not due to a limiting adjunct (the body), because in liberated selves there is no adjunct at all.
- Ādityadṛṣṭāntena ca jñātṛ-jñānayoḥ prabhā-prabhāvatoḥ iva avasthānam — like the sun and its radiance, the knower (the self) and knowledge are distinct yet joined; so saṃsāra-daśāyāṃ jñānasya karmaṇā saṃkocaḥ mokṣa-daśāyāṃ vikāsaḥ — in samsara knowledge contracts, in moksha it blossoms.
The difference: Here Advaita and Vishishtadvaita clash directly — for Shankara knowledge = realisation of the reality of Brahman; for Ramanuja knowledge is an attribute of the self, and selves are many. This book keeps both on an equal footing.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.