Chapter 5, Verse 16 (Bhagavad Gita 5.16)
Chapter 5: Karm Sanyās Yog – Path of Renunciation
Sanskrit Shloka
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः। तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम्
Transliteration
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ yeṣhāṁ nāśhitam ātmanaḥ teṣhām āditya-vaj jñānaṁ prakāśhayati tat param
Word Meanings
jñānena—by divine knowledge; tu—but; tat—that; ajñānam—ignorance; yeṣhām—whose; nāśhitam—has been destroyed; ātmanaḥ—of the self; teṣhām—their; āditya-vat—like the sun; jñānam—knowledge; prakāśhayati—illumines; tat—that; param—Supreme Entity
Translation
But for those whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of the Self, that knowledge, like the sun, reveals the Supreme Brahman.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse illustrates that spiritual enlightenment is not an external acquisition, but the removal of an internal veil. Just as the sun does not create the objects it illuminates but simply makes them visible, self-knowledge reveals the Divine that was always present within. The psychological transformation involves shifting one's identity from the limited ego to the eternal Self, ending the cycle of confusion and suffering. Practically, this implies that by cultivating self-awareness, we stop projecting our fears onto the world and begin to see the underlying reality of existence. Ultimately, the destruction of ignorance restores our inherent connection to the source of all consciousness.