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Chapter 5 · Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness · 29 verses

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Soul & knowledgeChapter 5 · Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
5.155.17

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 5.16

Knowledge and equal vision

ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मन: ।

तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् ॥ १६ ॥

jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ

yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ

teṣām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ

prakāśayati tat param

Translation

When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Knowledge Lights Up Everything

  1. 1Knowledge destroys ignorance and reveals everything, just as the sun lights up the day.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that perfect knowledge comes through surrender to Kṛṣṇa. God and each living being always remain individuals.
  3. 3Seek a genuine spiritual master who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, and learn about God and your relationship with Him.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 5, Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: knowledge and equal vision.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 5.16 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 5.14Knowledge and equal visionBG 5.15Knowledge and equal visionBG 2.13The self endures bodily changeBG 4.34The humility of real inquiry

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Ask about BG 5.16 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.