Chapter 4 of Bhagavad Gita describes the synthesis of the paths of action & Knowledge. How proper actions lead to knowledge & what is renunciation.What is proper action & recognition of Unaction.

1. BHAGAVAD GITA
Commentary by
Sant Jnaneswar
PROF. T. K. G. NAMBOODHIRI
Thiruvalla, Kerala, India

2. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
JNANESWARI
• Jnaneswari is the commentary on Bhagavad
Gita written by Saint Jnaneswar, who lived in
Maharashtra in the 13th Century AD.
• This very popular & simple commentary was
written in Marathi by Saint Jnaneswar when he
was only 15 years of age.
• The complete English translation of this
commentary is available at
http://www.bvbpune.org/contents1.html
T K G Namboodhiri

3. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
JNANESWARI
• The Marathi commentary Jnaneswari has been translated
into most Indian languages, English & other several
European languages.
• The Malayalam translation of Jnaneswari was prepared
by Shri M. P. Chandrasekharan Pillai (1924-1999),of
Thiruvalla, Kerala. After a devotional labour of 4 years,
referring several English & other translations, Shri. Pillai
completed his Malayalam Jnaneswari in 1990. During this
period, he was an inmate of Anandasram, Kanjangad,
Kerala, who published the commentary.
• This presentation is based entirely on this Malayalam
version of Jnaneswari
T K G Namboodhiri

4. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
CHAPTER 4
THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE AS WELL AS
DISCIPLINES OF ACTION & RENUNCIATION
T K G Namboodhiri

5. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
INTRODUCTION
Sant Jnaneswara talks to his audience: The
core subject of Gita is Self-Knowledge, Lord
Krishna speaks about it to his devotee &
friend Arjuna. One who talks about this
wonderful & sweet conversation enjoys
heavenly bliss. So concentrate all your senses
to the ears & listen carefully. The Supreme
Brahman, though formless & imperceptible,
took the human form to advise His devotee
Arjuna, & through him, all humanity.
T K G Namboodhiri

6. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.1 & 4.2
Lord Krishna said: In the beginning of creation,
I taught this imperishable & absolute Yoga
(knowledge, Karma Yoga) to the Sun god. Sun
taught it to his son Manu, who, in turn, taught it
to his son Ikshwaku. Arjuna, this most secret
yoga was thus transferred through several
generations of King-Sages & was practiced by
the people. Unfortunately, now people have
lost this knowledge due to misuse, & the world
is full of sensual-pleasure seekers who have no
interest in Self-Knowledge or righteous living.
T K G Namboodhiri

7. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.3
Since you are my devotee & close
friend, I am teaching you this lost ,
but already revealed in the distant
past, Yoga. This knowledge is highly
noble & secret. The Karma-Yoga,
which I am teaching you now, is the
Deepest mystery of My life & most
worthy of following by you & others in
this world.
T K G Namboodhiri

8. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.4
Arjuna raises a doubt here. He said:
Krishna, you were born many ages
later than the origin of the Sun. You
are nearly of the same age as I. So
how do I believe that in the
beginning you taught the Sun this
Knowledge?
T K G Namboodhiri

9. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.5 & 4.6
The Lord said: Arjuna, I have taken many
births in the past, & so have you. I know
all about my previous births, but you do
not know them. So it is only natural that
you think that I could not have taught the
Sun this knowledge. But know from Me
that I am Unborn, Imperishable & the Lord
of all beings. Though Formless & Infinite, I
incarnate Myself into various forms to
perform certain functions.
T K G Namboodhiri

10. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.7 & 4.8
At all times, I work to maintain the spiritual
structure of the world. Whenever there is
decline in Righteousness, & Unrighteousness
rules the roost, I incarnate Myself in
appropriate forms. To protect the Righteous,
to annihilate the wicked, & to establish
Righteousness, I project Myself in every Age.
Whenever I incarnate, life experiences the
dawn of Righteousness & mountains of
superstitions & ignorance melt away like
snow.
T K G Namboodhiri

11. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.9 & 4.10
Whoever knows the truth about my incarnations & my
true nature gets liberated from this world of births &
deaths. He realizes that though I take births & do many
things, I remain birth less & a non-doer. Though living in
this world of objects, he remains unattached to his body,
& when his body returns to the 5 elements, he merges
with Me. They have completely conquered fear, desire &
anger, fix their minds on Me always & worship Me. They
are completely unperturbed about their past or the
present, & are said to be desire-less. They remain
outside the influence of sensual pleasures, & lives to
serve Me. Always contemplating on the Self, they find
bliss in Self-Knowledge. Such noble & wise people are
not different from Me, & they eventually merge with Me.
T K G Namboodhiri

12. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.11 & 4.12
In whatever form people worship Me, I grant
boons to them in those very forms. All follow My
path only. Due to ignorance, people give many
names & forms to Me, who is really nameless &
formless. Those who desire material boons,
worship many gods depending upon their
natural inclination. They all get their desires
fulfilled quickly, but do not realize that what
they get are the fruits of their work only. The
work is a giver & a taker. Only activities
generate fruits. We reap what we sow. A mirror
reflects only that which is put in front of it
T K G Namboodhiri

13. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.13
I created the 4-fold division of society into
Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, & Soodra,
based on the natural tendencies of people
& the suitability of work. All living beings
& activities exhibit the three natural
qualities, Satwa, Rajas & Tamas, in
varying proportions. The 4-fold division of
the society is the outcome of these
qualities, & I am not really the doer of this
division.
T K G Namboodhiri

14. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.14 & 4.15
Work does not bind Me because I have no
craving for the fruits of action. One who
understands this true nature of Mine, will
also not get bound by his work. Though all
activities in life originated from Me, I am
not the doer of anything. Knowing this,
many wise people in the past have done
work without attachment to fruits or
feelings of doership, & have been
liberated.
T K G Namboodhiri

15. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.16 & 4.17
What is action? What is inaction? Even
wise people are confused about them. So
I will tell you about action or work,
knowing which you may be liberated
from this world. We should know what
actions should be carried out (Karma) &
what should be avoided (Vikarma). We
should also know the nature of inaction
(Akarma). Imponderable is the path of
action.
T K G Namboodhiri

16. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.18
Sri Krishna talks about the characteristics of a person
with real knowledge about action (work). One who sees
inactivity in activity & vice-versa is the intelligent among
men. One who works as duties to be performed, without
any selfish motives, or desire for fruits, is really inactive.
While travelling on a boat we see trees on the banks
moving in the opposite direction, but in reality, we are
the ones moving & the trees are stationary. Similarly,
work done by our body, mind & intellect, does not affect
the Self, which is detached and a non-worker. One who
realizes this, sees inaction in action. One, who is
ignorant about the Self, though remaining bodily inactive,
engages his mind, intellect & ego in thoughts of non-
work & enjoyment. Such people are doing work, even
when inactive.-Action in inaction.
T K G Namboodhiri

17. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.19
One, whose activities are devoid of any selfish
desires, & whose duties have been burnt to
ashes by the fire of knowledge, is called a
Pandita (wise) by learned people. Such a person
has no desire or repulsion from doing his work.
All his work are for the welfare of others or for
maintaining his body. He does not hanker after
the fruits of his actions. Unperturbed &
unattached, all his activities are without
bondage.
T K G Namboodhiri

18. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.20
Such a wise man discards all attachments to
work & its results. He remains always in the
bliss of Self-Knowledge, contented, &
independent. Though fully immersed in worldly
activities, he actually does no work because all
his work has reached the state of non-work. He
has nothing to gain from worldly activities &
always remains in the enjoyment of Self-
Realization.
T K G Namboodhiri

19. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.21 & 4.22
No desires control his body & senses. He
does the work required to maintain his
body alive, without any interest in fruits of
action. He remains satisfied with
whatever he gets by chance. He is beyond
dualities like good & bad, hot & cold, &
always sees only the unity of things. Not
competing with anybody, he remains
equipoise in success & failure. Such a
person does not get bound by his actions.
T K G Namboodhiri

20. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.23
A wise man discards completely the
feelings of “I” & “Mine”. He remains
beyond the feelings of desire & anger,
& exists steadily in the knowledge of
the Self. He does everything as
offerings to the Ultimate. All his work
& past impressions of work have been
dissolved in himself. He exudes divine
brilliance from all parts of his body.
T K G Namboodhiri

21. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.24 to 4.32
In these 9 verses Sri Krishna talks
about the various types of sacrifices
offered by seekers. All these
sacrifices using materials, body, mind
& intellect, based on injunctions in
Vedas & scriptures, aim at obtaining
riches or enjoyment in heaven. All
these involve human activity & yields
appropriate fruits to the seekers.
T K G Namboodhiri

22. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.33
Arjuna, sacrifices offering knowledge is far superior to
all sacrifices of worldly objects, because all actions,
complete with the fruits of actions, & end up in self-
knowledge. The complicated activities involving
worldly objects needed in these sacrifices, as per the
Vedas, lead to the attainment of transient heavenly
pleasures. Though noble in themselves, they lose their
greatness when compared to sacrifices leading to
self-knowledge. This knowledge leads to eternal bliss
& eliminates all desires, deductions, sensual
pleasures, & mental thoughts. Attaining the ultimate
goal , the Yogi sees only the Self in everything, &
without further effort, he merges with the Self.
T K G Namboodhiri

23. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.34 & 4.35
If you wish to acquire True Knowledge, you have to
approach wise men who have realized the Self, prostrate
before them, please them through services & asking
them questions about the Truth. Services sincerely
offered to wise men are the steps to the temple of Self-
Knowledge. Earning their confidence through humble
surrendering to them, you will be taught all you want to
know by the Wise Teachers. Once you receive the
Knowledge, you will be free of attachments,
possessiveness, & dualities, because you see yourself &
all other beings first in your inner Self, & then in Me- the
Supreme Self. With the blessings of your Teacher, you
become wise, & in the light of True-Knowledge, all the
darkness of your delusions will vanish.
T K G Namboodhiri

24. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.36 & 4.37
Even if you are the greatest of sinners, you
will cross the sea of sins by the boat of
Knowledge. You may be the mine of sins, the
ocean of ignorance or the mountain of
delusion. All these will become insignificant
in the powerful light of Knowledge. The
delusion that this world is real will melt away
when the rays of knowledge strike. As the
razing fire burns to ashes all firewood, the
fire of Self-Knowledge burns all worldly
actions to ashes-destroys their bondage.
T K G Namboodhiri

25. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.38
There is nothing in this world as sacred &
pure as Knowledge. Is there anything to
compete with Omnipotence? Can a reflection
of the Sun shine like the Sun? Can we hold in
place the Sky with our hands? If all these are
possible, then only there may be something
equal to Knowledge. One who has become
eligible to know, through selfless actions &
meditation, gradually starts experiencing the
Self within, without any outside help
T K G Namboodhiri

26. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.39
One who has faith in the words of his Teacher,
one who is curious & anxious to know, & one
who has mastered his senses, only he can
obtain the Ultimate Self-Knowledge. After
obtaining Knowledge he loses interest in
worldly sensual pleasures, discards wandering
thoughts, & keeps away from the activities of
Nature. He always remains happily engaged in
his duties, & views the whole universe as
himself,& remains beyond selfish feelings of I &
mine. He sees Peace & Happiness everywhere
T K G Namboodhiri

27. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 4.40
One who is ignorant of the Self, unfaithful towards his
teacher, & filled with doubts, cannot find happiness
either in this world or anywhere else. The life of one not
curious to know about himself, is a total wastage. His life
is rooted in ignorance & indiscrimination, & is as futile as
an empty house or a dead body. Least interested in
knowledge & full of nagging doubts, he is worse than
dead. A doubting person cannot distinguish between
good & bad, or truth & untruth, like a person born blind
cannot distinguish between day & night. He cannot
understand anything & loses everything.
T K G Namboodhiri

28. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 4.41 & 4.42
Arjuna, a Self-Realized Yogi who has
eliminated all doubts, & who does all
his essential duties as offerings to
God, never gets bound by his actions.
Hence kill the doubts in your mind,
born out of ignorance, with the sharp
sword of Knowledge, & adopting
Karma-Yoga of Selfless Action, get up
& fight the war.
T K G Namboodhiri

29. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
T K G Namboodhiri

30. BHAGAVADGITA
JNANESWARI
T K G Namboodhiri