Chapter 13, Verse 12 (Bhagavad Gita 13.12)
Sanskrit Shloka
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम्।एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोन्यथा
Transliteration
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśhanam etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
Word Meanings
adhyātma—spiritual; jñāna—knowledge; nityatvam—constancy; tattva-jñāna—knowledge of spiritual principles; artha—for; darśhanam—philosophy; etat—all this; jñānam—knowledge; iti—thus; proktam—declared; ajñānam—ignorance; yat—what; ataḥ—to this; anyathā—contrary
Translation
Constancy in Self-knowledge, and the perception of the goal of true knowledge—this is declared to be knowledge; all that is contrary to this is ignorance.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound verse, Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the Supreme Absolute, illuminates the distinction between worldly information and true wisdom. He teaches Arjuna that genuine knowledge is not found in books, but in the unwavering focus of the soul upon its own divine nature and the ultimate reality of the Supreme Lord. By defining all that contradicts this divine vision as ignorance, Shri Krishna invites the seeker to shed the illusions of the material world. To realize this knowledge is to attain liberation, as the soul shifts its identity from the transient body to the eternal Truth of the Supreme Brahman. Through this revelation, Shri Krishna guides the soul toward the pinnacle of spiritual awakening.