Chapter4 Shloka33 - Shrimad Bhagvad Gita

Shrimad Bhagvad Gita

Chapter 4 : Jnana Yoga - The Yoga of knowledge

Ch 04 : Sh 33

श्रेयान्द्रव्यमयाद्यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञः परन्तप ।
सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते ॥

Transliteration

śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj-jñāna yājñāḥ paraṅtapa |
sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate || 33 ||

Translation

The sacrifice(Yajna) of wisdom is superior to material sacrifice(Yajna), O Parantapa (Arjuna), after all actions and everything else culminate in wisdom itself.

Purport

As stated in earlier Shloka, all Yajnas are liberating for a human being, but still, there are some Yajnas which are better than others. In this Shloka Bhagvan Shri Krishna explains the same by classifying all Yajnas into two parts.

1. Sacrifice(Yajna) of Wisdom and
2. Material Sacrifice

Bhagvan declares that all Yajnas which are done for the wisdom are better than the material sacrifice(Yajna). Explaining the reasons, Shri Krishna further explained that wisdom is the final result of all actions.

If we want to put a different type of Yajnas in the above categories, we might place as follows:

Jnana yajna(sacrifice of wisdom)
Bramha Yajna(The devotion)
Yoga of mind(Raj yoga)
Pranayam (Yoga of breaths)
Acquiring and distributing knowledge
Tapasya (Renunciation of worldly desires)

Material Sacrifice
Deva Yajna(Worship of deities)
Charity(Dana)
Steadfast
Self-control

Yoga of physical control(Hatha Yoga like Asana)

Yajnas of the first type are better than the second type.