4.33
श्रेयान्द्रव्यमयाद्यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञः परन्तप ।
सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते ॥
śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñānayajñaḥ parantapa
sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Better than the sacrifice made of goods is the sacrifice of knowledge, scorcher of the foe; all action, entire, comes to completion in knowledge, Pārtha (पार्थ).
नेपालीमा
धनले बनेको यज्ञभन्दा ज्ञानको यज्ञ राम्रो हो, हे शत्रुलाई पोल्ने। सारा कर्म पूर्ण रूपमा ज्ञानमा समाप्त हुन्छ, हे पार्थ।
Where it sits
The sacrifices of 4.24–4.32 are not a menu of equals: knowledge is the better sacrifice, and it is where action ends. The next stretch says how that knowledge is got, and what it does to what has already been done.
Split: श्रेयान् + द्रव्य-मयात् + यज्ञात् + ज्ञान-यज्ञः + परन्तप + सर्वम् + कर्म + अखिलम् + पार्थ + ज्ञाने + परिसमाप्यते
śreyān + dravya-mayāt + yajñāt + jñāna-yajñaḥ + parantapa + sarvam + karma + akhilam + pārtha + jñāne + parisamāpyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| श्रेयान् | śreyān | nominative | better. Comparative of the stem behind śreyas (श्रेयस्). |
| द्रव्य-मयात् | dravya-mayāt | ablative | than what is made of goods. The suffix --maya (मय) is "made of," as in manmaya (मन्मय) in 4.10. |
| यज्ञात् | yajñāt | ablative | than the sacrifice. Agrees with dravyamayāt (द्रव्यमयात्). |
| ज्ञान-यज्ञः | jñāna-yajñaḥ | nominative | the sacrifice of knowledge. Subject of śreyān (श्रेयान्). |
| परन्तप | parantapa | vocative | scorcher of the foe. |
| सर्वम् | sarvam | nominative neuter | all. |
| कर्म | karma | nominative | action. |
| अखिलम् | akhilam | nominative neuter | entire, with nothing left out. Agrees with karma (कर्म). |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | son of Pṛthā (पृथा). |
| ज्ञाने | jñāne | locative singular | in knowledge. |
| परिसमाप्यते | parisamāpyate | present, 3rd singular, passive | it is brought to completion. From परि-सम्-आप् pari-sam-āp. |
The phrases
śreyān dravyamayāt yajñāt jñānayajñaḥ parantapa (श्रेयान् द्रव्यमयात् यज्ञात् ज्ञानयज्ञः परन्तप) ranks two sacrifices. The sacrifice of knowledge is better than the sacrifice made of goods. The comparative śreyān (श्रेयान्) takes the ablative as "than." Both ablatives are that one sacrifice: dravyamayāt (द्रव्यमयात्) describes yajñāt (यज्ञात्). The joins are written as one run: śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñānayajñaḥ (श्रेयान्द्रव्यमयाद्यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञः).
sarvaṃ karma akhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate (सर्वं कर्म अखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते) says why the ranking holds. All action, the whole of it, comes to completion in knowledge. karma akhilam (कर्म अखिलम्) is karmākhilam (कर्माखिलम्). The locative jñāne (ज्ञाने) is where the completion happens.
Sanskrit in this line
A comparative takes the ablative as "than." śreyān (श्रेयान्) is "better." dravyamayāt yajñāt (द्रव्यमयात् यज्ञात्) is "than the sacrifice made of goods." You cannot see the two ablatives until the joins are undone. t (त्) before y (य्) becomes d (द्): mayāt yajñāt (मयात् यज्ञात्) is mayād yajñāt (मयाद्यज्ञात्). t (त्) before j (ज्) becomes j (ज्): yajñāt jñāna (यज्ञात् ज्ञान) is yajñāj jñāna (यज्ञाज्ज्ञान). Both endings are still ablative --āt (आत्).
Say it back
Which sacrifice is better, and where all action is completed. If jñāne (ज्ञाने) is said as an ablative, "from knowledge," stay here. It is locative, "in knowledge."