Devanagari
श्रीभगवानुवाच
यो विद्याश्रुतसम्पन्न: आत्मवान् नानुमानिक: ।
मायामात्रमिदं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञानं च मयि सन्न्यसेत् ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yo vidyā-śruta-sampannaḥ
ātmavān nānumānikaḥ
māyā-mātram idaṁ jṣātvā
jṣānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset
Synonyms
śrī
—
bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
;
yaḥ
—
one who
;
vidyā
—
with realized knowledge
;
śruta
—
and preliminary scriptural knowledge
;
sampannaḥ
—
endowed
;
ātma
—
vān — self-realized
;
na
—
not
;
ānumānikaḥ
—
engaged in impersonal speculation
;
māyā
—
illusion
;
mātram
—
only
;
idam
—
this universe
;
jṣātvā
—
knowing
;
jṣānam
—
such knowledge and the means of achieving it
;
ca
—
also
;
mayi
—
to Me
;
sannyaset
—
one should surrender .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: A self-realized person who has cultivated scriptural knowledge up to the point of enlightenment and who is free from impersonal speculation, understanding the material universe to be simply illusion, should surrender unto Me both that knowledge and the means by which he achieved it.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Supreme Lord said: A person endowed with jṣāna through the scriptures, who consequently understands ātmā, and has realization, on understanding that the world is produced through false identity, gives up the practice of jṣāna in order to attain me.
In the Nineteenth Chapter, bhakti of the devotee who gives up sādhana of the jṣānī, and the definitions of words like yama are described. In order to destroy beginningless ignorance, it has been explained that the jīva must practice jṣāna, yoga and vairāgya without material actions. When ignorance is destroyed and knowledge is produced by those sādhanas, those sādhanas are not longer useful at all. A person, becoming absorbed in a snake, tiger or ghost, forgets himself and thinks he is a snake, tiger or ghost. Then gems, mantras and medicines are useful to help him. When the identity is broken by those means, and the person returns to his former identity, the gems, mantras and medicines are no longer used. That principle is described in this verse.
One should be endowed with knowledge (vidyā) which destroys ignorance, composed of sāṅkhya, yoga, austerity, vairāgya, learned through scriptures which teach those subjects. He then understands the nature of ātmā (ātmavān). He is not a possessor of theoretical knowledge (na ānumānikaḥ) but has direct realization. Understanding that the universe arises from ignorance through false identity with his body and related objects, or understanding that this world is temporary, he renounces all jṣāna-sādhana for me. This means he gives up jṣāna in order to attain me. This is called vidvat-sannyāsa.
Purport
Māyā-mātram idaṁ jṣātvā
indicates knowledge that the eternal spirit soul and the eternal Personality of Godhead are completely separate from the temporary qualities of the material world. The word
vidyā-śruta-sampanna
means that one should cultivate Vedic knowledge for the purpose of enlightenment and not to make a show of mysticism, intellectuality or impersonal speculation. Having neutralized the illusory effects of
māyā,
one should then transfer one’s attention to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, surrendering the process of philosophical negation to the Lord Himself. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī gives the example that when there is danger the king may issue weapons to private citizens, but after military victory the individual citizens return the weapons to the king.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains this point of this verse as follows. Somehow or other the living entity has to free himself from material illusion, which has covered him since time immemorial. Cultivating desirelessness and renunciation by practice of the mystic
yoga
system, the living entity develops knowledge of illusion and may thus lift himself above the reach of material ignorance. However, once one is situated on the transcendental platform, both knowledge of illusion and the process of acquiring such knowledge have no further practical application. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives the example that a man may be haunted by the ghost of a snake or a tiger. As long as the man is possessed and thinks, “I am a snake” or “I am a tiger,” attempts will be made to counteract the ghostly influence by application of jewels,
mantras
and herbs. But when the man is freed from possession by ghosts, he again thinks, “I am Mr. So-and-so, the son of Mr. So-and-so,” and returns to his original nature. At that time the jewels,
mantras
and herbs have no further immediate application. The word
vidyā
in this verse thus indicates knowledge acquired through philosophical analysis, mystic
yoga,
austerities and renunciation. Such knowledge of the temporary, illusory nature of this world counteracts ignorance, and there are many Vedic scriptures that train the living entity in such knowledge. Gradually one gives up his false identification with the material body and mind and with those material objects that interact with the body and mind. Having realized such counteractive knowledge, one must engage in the loving service of the Personality of Godhead and become a pure devotee. When one is completely perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is naturally little interest in the innumerable details of illusion, and gradually one is transferred to the spiritual world.