Shloka

अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः |
सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि ||४-३६||

Transliteration

api cedasi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ .
sarvaṃ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṃ santariṣyasi ||4-36||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

4.36. Even if you are the highest sinner amongst all sinners, you shall cross over [the ocean of] all the sin just by the boat of knowledge.

Shri Purohit Swami

4.36 Be thou the greatest of sinners, yet thou shalt cross over all sin by the ferryboat of wisdom.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

4.36 See Comment under 4.37

Sri Ramanuja

4.36 Even though you be the most sinful of all sinners, you will completely cross over the sea of sins previoulsy accumulated, with the boat of knowledge concerning the self.

Sri Shankaracharya

4.36 Api cet asi, even if you be; papa-krt-tamah, the worst sinner, extremely sinful; sarvhyah, among all; paphyah, the sinners (papa, lit. sin, means here sinner) ; still santarisyasi, you will cross over; sarvam, all; the vrjinam, wickedness, the ocean of wickedness, sin; [Ast. reads papa-samudram, (ocean of sin) in place of papam.-Tr.] jnana-plavena eva, with the raft of Knowledge alone, by using Knowledge alone as a float. Here [Here, in the scriptures imparting spiritual instructions.], righteousness (formal religious observance), too, is said to be an evil in the case of one aspiring for Liberation. How Knowledge destroys sin is being told with the help of an illustration:

Swami Adidevananda

4.36 Even if you be the most sinful of all sinners, you will cross over all sins by the boat of knowledge alone.

Swami Gambirananda

4.36 Even if you be the worst sinner among all sinners, still you will cross over all the wickedness with the raft of Knowledge alone.

Swami Sivananda

4.36 Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt verily cross all sins by the raft of knowledge.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

4.36 अपि even? चेत् if? असि (thou) art? पापेभ्यः than sinners? सर्वेभ्यः (than) all? पापकृत्तमः most sinful? सर्वम् all? ज्ञानप्लवेन by the raft of knowledge? एव alone? वृजिनम् sin? सन्तरिष्यसि (thou) shalt cross.Commentary You can cross the ocean of sin with the boat of the knowledge of the Self. (Cf.IX.30)