Shloka
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् |
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ||१४-१||Transliteration
śrībhagavānuvāca .
paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānamuttamam .
yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhimito gatāḥ ||14-1||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
14.1. The Bhagavat said Further, once again I shall explain the supreme knowledge, the best among the knowledges, by knowing which all the seers have gone from here to the Supreme Success.
Shri Purohit Swami
14.1 “Lord Shri Krishna continued: Now I will reveal unto the Wisdom which is beyond knowledge, by attaining which the sages have reached Perfection.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
14.1 Param etc. Knowledge has been described earlier; the same I shall again explain thoroughly, i.e., in detail in order to examine individually the nature of the Strands. By knowing which etc.: By this [the Bhagavat] proclaims the tested trustworthiness and the popularity of this knowledge.
Sri Ramanuja
14.1 The Lord said I shall declare again another kind of knowledge which is distinct from what was taught earlier concerning Gunas such as Sattva, falling within the sphere of Prakrti and Purusa. This knowledge going to be revealed is the best of all forms of knowledge concerning the Prakrti and the self. Having gained this knowledge, all sages, namely, those given to meditation, have attained perfection, beyond this world, the sphere of Samsara, having attained the essential and pure form of the self.
He further extols this knowledge, distinguishing it by its fruits:
Sri Shankaracharya
14.1 The word param should be connected with the remote word jnanam. Pravaksyami, I shall speak; bhuyah, again-even though spoken of more than once in all the preceding chapters; of the param, supreme-it is supreme because it is concerned with the supreme Reality;-which is that?-jnanam, Knowledge; uttamam, the best-since it has the best result; jnananam, of all knowledges-. ‘Of all knowledges’ does not mean ‘of humility’ etc. (13.7-11). What then? It means ‘among knowledges of all knowable things like sacrifice etc.’ They do not lead to Liberation, but this (Knowledge) leads to Liberation. Hence the Lord praises it with the words ‘supreme’ and ‘best’, so as to arouse interest in the intellect of the listener. Yat jnatva, by realizing which, by attaining which Knowledge; sarve, all; munayah, the contemplatives, the monks [But not those who espoused monasticsim as a formality in in the fourth stage of life.] gatah, reached, attained; itah, from here-when this bondage of the body had ceased; param, the highest; siddhim, Perfection, called Liberation. And the Lord shows the infallibility of this Perfection:
Swami Adidevananda
14.1 The Lord said I shall declare again another kind of knowledge: It is the best of all forms of knowledge, by knowing which all the sages have attained the state of perfection beyond this world.
Swami Gambirananda
14.1 The Blessed Lord said I shall speak again of the supreme Knowledge, the best of all knowledges, by realizing which all the contemplatives reached the highest Perfection from here.
Swami Sivananda
14.1 The Blessed Lord said I will again declare (to thee) that supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledge, having known which all the sages have gone to the supreme perfection after this life.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
14.1 परम् supreme? भूयः again? प्रवक्ष्यामि (I) will declare? ज्ञानानाम् of all knowledge? ज्ञानम् knowledge? उत्तमम् the best? यत् which? ज्ञात्वा having known? मुनयः the sages? सर्वे all? पराम् supreme? सिद्धिम् to perfection? इतः after this life? गताः gone.Commentary Further analysis of the field is made in this chapter.In chapter XIII? verse 21? it has been stated that attachment to the alities is the cause of Samsara or births in good and evil wombs. In this chapter the Lord gives answers to the estions What are the alities of Nature (Gunas) How do they bind a man What are the characteristics of these alities How do they operate How can one obtain freedom from them What are the characteristics of a liberated soulAll knowledge has no reference to the knowledge described in chapter XIII? verse 7 to 10? but it refers to that kind of knowledge which concerns sacrifices. That kind of knowledge which relates to sacrifices cannot give liberation. But the knowledge which is going to be imparted in this discourse will certainly lead to emancipation. The Lord eulogises this knowledge by the epithets supreme and the best in order to create great interest in Arjuna and other spiritual aspirants.Having learnt this supreme knowledge? all the sages who practised Manana or reflection (Munis) have attained perfection after being freed from bondage to the body.Itah After this life after being freed from this bondage to the body.