Chapter 3, Verse 41 (Bhagavad Gita 3.41)
Chapter 3: Karm Yog – Path of Selfless Service
Sanskrit Shloka
तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ। पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम्
Transliteration
tasmāt tvam indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣhabha pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam
Word Meanings
tasmāt—therefore; tvam—you; indriyāṇi—senses; ādau—in the very beginning; niyamya—having controlled; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—Arjun, the best of the Bharatas; pāpmānam—the sinful; prajahi—slay; hi—certainly; enam—this; jñāna—knowledge; vijñāna—realization; nāśhanam—the destroyer
Translation
Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, control your senses first and then kill this sinful thing, which destroys knowledge and realization.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse addresses the root cause of human suffering: desire (kama), which acts as an insatiable fire consuming one's clarity. By advising the practitioner to control the senses first, Krishna teaches that one cannot conquer the mind while the senses remain enslaved to external stimuli. It is a call to discipline, suggesting that spiritual progress is impossible without mastering the gateways of perception. By eliminating this source of delusion, one clears the path for the light of true knowledge to shine within, revealing the soul's original, enlightened nature.