4.35 यत् which? ज्ञात्वा having known? न not? पुनः again? मोहम् delusion? एवम् thus? यास्यसि will get? पाण्डव O Pandava? येन by this? भूतानि beings? अशेषेण all? द्रक्ष्यसि (thou) shalt see? आत्मनि in (thy) Self? अथो also? मयि in Me.Commentary That? the knowledge of the Self mentioned in the previous verse? that is to be learnt from the Brahmanishtha Guru through prostration? estioning and service. When you acire this knowledge you will not be again subject to confusion or error. You will behold that underlying basic unity. You will behold or directly cognise through internal experience or intuition that all beings from the Creator down to a blade of grass exist in your own Self and also in Me. (Cf.IX.15XVIII.20)
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
In the context of this verse, a doubt may arise in one's mind: though knowledge can be attained through such great effort, it is possible that after death we may fall back into the same state of ignorance. In a single lifetime, we acquire many kinds of knowledge, yet we do not retain all of it. Similarly, if the knowledge of the atman is attained but then forgotten, it would indeed be a great loss. To dispel such doubts, Lord Sri Krishna declares with certainty: "Having known this, you shall not fall into delusion again." Though this statement may appear to be spoken with the fervent conviction of an absolutist, it should be accepted in this very form in the initial stages of inquiry. All the acharyas are unanimous on this matter, and since they have no selfish interest in depriving their own generation, it is wise to accept their teaching with faith. This faith is necessary only until we ourselves directly experience the atman. A child cannot understand the joy of married life. Similarly, we who are bound by sorrow and delusion in the state of ignorance cannot comprehend the bliss of realizing the eternal nature of the atman that transcends time and space. No matter how much the guru may describe it, without attaining inner maturity, we cannot grasp the true meaning of his words.
In describing the characteristic of self-realization, Sri Krishna says: Upon knowing the atman, the entire creation of external objects, emotions, and thoughts will appear as the atman itself, and that atman is the very form of Sri Krishna, the Supreme Self. Once a person recognizes the ocean, all the waves appear to him as nothing but the ocean itself.
The characteristics of the direct realization of knowledge described in the previous verses are presented in this verse. It becomes clear here that the disciple needs the presence of the guru only until he experiences the entire creation as the non-dual atman, inseparable from the Supreme Self.
Behold the greatness of this knowledge: