Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 36 (BG 4.36) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

4.36 अपि even? चेत् if? असि (thou) art? पापेभ्यः than sinners? सर्वेभ्यः (than) all? पापकृत्तमः most sinful? सर्वम् all? ज्ञानप्लवेन by the raft of knowledge? एव alone? वृजिनम् sin? सन्तरिष्यसि (thou) shalt cross.Commentary You can cross the ocean of sin with the boat of the knowledge of the Self. (Cf.IX.30)

Commentaries

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.

Modern

# BG 4.36 Although Lord Sri Krishna had assured Arjun of the realization of the Self, that experience was so sublime and exalted that Arjun could not trust in his own worthiness. He held the conviction that he was not deserving of attaining such an experience. Any discerning person aware of their own shortcomings may harbor such doubt. Vedanta is not a philosophy that, with a hardened heart, deprives sinners of the attainment of knowledge. Vedanta does not subscribe to the belief that a person is fallen and shall forever wander in lower forms of existence, and that such a fallen person can be redeemed only upon entering the temple of Vedanta. The supremely tolerant philosophy of Vedanta proclaims only truth—and truth alone. The all-pervading divine principle manifests everywhere, and therefore no sinner exists who cannot, through their own effort, claim their birthright of inherent perfection. The Bhagavad Gita is a scripture of life written for all humanity, and its universality shines clearly in this verse. The Gita assures us that even the most sinful person can, by swimming across the limitations and sorrows of the present life, reach the shore of perfection through the boat of knowledge. This right of humanity to attain perfection is not stated so clearly in any other scripture in the world. To recognize that the true nature of the individual soul is not separate from the infinite Self, and thereafter to abide in one's own divine nature—this is called true knowledge. Upon recognizing one's own nature as bliss eternal, worldly pleasures cannot tempt us, nor can sinful living draw us away. In most beautiful words, it is said here: Through the boat of knowledge, you shall cross over all sins. The Lord answers how this knowledge destroys sins through an illustration.