Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.37

yathaidhāḿsi samiddho 'gnir

bhasma-sāt kurute 'rjuna

jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi

bhasma-sāt kurute tathā

SYNONYMS

yathā — just as; edhāḿsi — firewood; samiddhaḥ — blazing; agniḥ — fire; bhasma-sāt — ashes; kurute — turns; arjuna — O Arjuna; jñāna-agniḥ — the fire of knowledge; sarva-karmāṇi — all reactions to material activities; bhasma-sāt — to ashes; kurute — it turns; tathā — similarly.

TRANSLATION

As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

PURPORT

Perfect knowledge of self and Superself and of their relationship is compared herein to fire. This fire not only burns up all reactions to impious activities, but also all reactions to pious activities, turning them to ashes. There are many stages of reaction: reaction in the making, reaction fructifying, reaction already achieved, and reaction a priori. But knowledge of the constitutional position of the living entity burns everything to ashes. When one is in complete knowledge, all reactions, both a priori and a posteriori, are consumed. In the Vedas (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22) it is stated, ubhe uhaivaiṣa ete taraty amṛtaḥ sādhv-asādhūnī: "One overcomes both the pious and impious reactions of work."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness