सूत्रकृत्·Sūtrakṛt-Gītā
Ch 18 · Mokṣa-Sannyāsa-Yoga
← back to plaincompare← 18.2018.22 →

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 18, Verse 21: Krishna to Arjuna — Mokṣa-Sannyāsa-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 18.21Chapter 18 · Mokṣa-Sannyāsa-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh
पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान् पृथग्विधान् ।
वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
pṛthaktvena← pṛthaktva(3 verses)instrumental neuter singular noun(pṛthak + -tva: separately)attested in commentariesadvaitaतु भेदेन प्रतिशरीरम् अन्यत्वेनviśiṣṭādvaitaआत्माख्यान्bhaktiतु यज्ज्ञानमित्यस्यैव विवरणं सर्वेषु भूतेषु देहेषु नानाभावान्वस्तुत एवानेकान्क्षेत्रज्ञान् पृथग्विधान्सुखीदुःखीत्यादिरूadvaita-bhaktiभेदेन स्थितेषु सर्वभूतेषु देहादिषु नानाभावान् प्रतिदेहमन्यानात्मनः पृथग्विधान् सुखदुःखित्वादिरूपेण परस्परविलक्षणान् tu← tu(67 verses)but, on the other hand (particle) yajjñānaṃ← jñāna(64 verses)nominative neuter singular nounknowledge, wisdom, cognition nānā← nānā(4 verses)various, manifoldattested in commentariesviśiṣṭādvaitaभूतान् सितदीर्घादिपृथक्त्वेनbhāvān← bhāva(29 verses)accusative masculine plural nounbeing, state, mood, emotion, conditionattested in commentariesviśiṣṭādvaitaनाना भूतान् सितदीर्घादिपृथक्त्वेन pṛthagvidhān← pṛthagvidha(2 verses)accusative masculine plural nounof various kinds (pṛthak + vidha)attested in commentariesadvaitaपृथक्प्रकारान् भिन्नलक्षणान् इत्यर्थः, वेत्ति विजानातिviśiṣṭādvaitaफलादिसंयोगयोग्यान् कर्माधिकारवेलायां यद् ज्ञानं वेत्तिadvaita-bhaktiसुखदुःखित्वादिरूपेण परस्परविलक्षणान्
vetti← √vid(76 verses)present indicative 3rd person singular verbto know; to find (verbal root)attested in commentariesadvaitaविजानातिviśiṣṭādvaitaतत् ज्ञानं राजसं विद्धिbhaktiतज्ज्ञानं राजसं विद्धि sarveṣu← sarva(138 verses)locative neuter plural nounall, entireattested in commentariesadvaitaभूतेषु, ज्ञानस्य कर्तृत्वासंभवात् येन ज्ञानेन वेत्ति इत्यर्थः,viśiṣṭādvaitaभूतेषु ब्राह्मणादिषु ब्राह्मणाद्याकार पृथक्त्वेन आत्माख्यान्bhaktiभूतेषु देहेषु नानाभावान्वस्तुत एवानेकान्क्षेत्रज्ञान् पृथग्विधान्सुखीदुःखीत्यादिरूपेण विलक्षणान् येन ज्ञानेन वेत्ति तज् bhūteṣu← bhūta(67 verses)locative neuter plural nounbeing, creature; element; past, goneattested in commentariesadvaita, ज्ञानस्य कर्तृत्वासंभवात् येन ज्ञानेन वेत्ति इत्यर्थः,viśiṣṭādvaitaब्राह्मणादिषु ब्राह्मणाद्याकार पृथक्त्वेन आत्माख्यान्bhaktiदेहेषु नानाभावान्वस्तुत एवानेकान्क्षेत्रज्ञान् पृथग्विधान्सुखीदुःखीत्यादिरूपेण विलक्षणान् येन ज्ञानेन वेत्ति तज्ज्ञानं tajjñānaṃ← jñāna(64 verses)accusative neuter singular nounknowledge, wisdom, cognition viddhi← √vid(76 verses)present imperative 2nd person singular verbto know; to find (verbal root)attested in commentariesadvaitaराजसं रजोगुणनिर्वृत्तम्advaita-bhaktiराजसमिति पुनर्ज्ञानपदमात्मभेदज्ञानं अनात्मभेदज्ञानं rājasam← rājasa(15 verses)accusative neuter singular nounrājasic; pertaining to the rajas guṇa (passion, activity)
spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip
meaning

Knowledge that sees each creature as a separately-natured self, missing the single reality that holds them all, is rajasic.

Bhāṣyakāra purports

  • Śaṅkaraadvaita

    That knowledge is rajasic (rajas-tainted) by which one perceives the many beings in all bodies as separately-natured (prthak-svabhava) — each body housing a distinct self of different character (bhinna-laksana). Sankara anchors the rajasic label on the very act of cognizing multiplicity as ultimate: the knowing-instrument (karana) is here mistaken for the agent, as if the fire, not the fuel, were the doer. On Advaita grounds, such knowledge is bondage-reinforcing — it multiplies the field of ahamkara (the I-maker) rather than dissolving it.

    divergence: Sankara: 'prthaktvena tu bhedena pratisariram anyatvena yat jnanam... tat jnanam viddhi rajasam rajoguna-nirvrttam' — knowledge born of rajas, perceiving body-to-body difference as real.

  • Rāmānujaviśiṣṭādvaita

    Ramanuja reads this verse as marking the knowledge that operates at the level of bodily-class distinction (brahmanadi-akara-prthaktvena) and fitness-for-action (karmaadhikara): such knowledge sees Brahmin, Kshatriya, and so on as categorically different souls carrying different karmic eligibilities. This is rajasic not because difference is unreal — Visistadvaita affirms real plurality of jivas — but because the perceiver stops at social-functional differentiation and misses that all these jivas are equally the body (sarira) of Bhagavan. The knowledge is partial, not false.

    divergence: Ramanuja: 'brahmanadi-akara-prthaktvena atma-khyan api bhavan nana-bhutan... karma-adhikara-velayam yat jnanam vetti tat rajasam' — knowledge at the level of karmic eligibility-classes, not divine interiority.

  • Madhvadvaita

    *Rājasic* (passion-born) *jñāna* (knowledge) is named here: *pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṃ nānābhāvān pṛthagvidhān vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu* — knowledge that, moving through all beings, grasps only the manifold differentiated states as so many *pṛthak* (separate) entities, each self-standing. The dvaita reading cuts precisely here: *bheda* (real distinction) among *jīvas* and between *jīva* and matter is not itself the error — *pañca-bheda* (the five-fold real distinction) is ontologically true. The error of rājasic knowing is that it reads the many without reading through them to *svatantra* (the independently real, self-sufficient) Hari, whose sovereign will (*svatantrya*) positions each *paratantra* (eternally dependent) *jīva* within *taratamya* (graded ontological hierarchy). Such knowledge fragments correctly at the surface yet misses the one *svatantra* who holds every *paratantra* entity in its ordained place. Distinction perceived without Hari as its ground and governor — that is *rājasa-jñāna*.

    divergence: No bhāṣya from Madhva or Jayatīrtha on this verse. Reading voices dvaita siddhānta directly from the mūla: the school's distinctive move is that rājasic error lies not in perceiving *bheda* (which is real) but in perceiving it without anchoring each distinction in Hari's *svatantrya*.

  • Vallabhaśuddhādvaita

    Vallabha's commentary is minimal: 'prthaktvena iti spastam' — the verse is self-evident. The Pustimarga reading would be: rajasic knowledge is knowledge that sees the many forms of Krsna's lila as merely many separate creatures rather than as the overflowing of His ananda (bliss). To perceive prthaktva (separateness) without perceiving that all prthaktva is itself Krsna's self-differentiation in play is to remain in rajas.

    divergence: Vallabha offers only 'spastam' (self-evident). The rendering draws on Pustimarga interpretive principles, not extended bhashya. Minimal engagement flagged.

  • Śrīdharabhakti

    Sridhara Svami gives the most precise philological reading: rajasic knowledge is that by which one perceives the many kshetrajna-s (knowers-of-the-field) as multiple in kind — the happy one, the suffering one, each with distinct character — and takes this plurality of experiential modes as ultimate truth. The verse specifies 'prthakg-vidhan' (differently-formed) pointing to the experiential variety within the embodied field. Knowledge that stops at this variety without asking what underlies it is rajasic.

    divergence: Sridhara: 'sarvesu bhutesu dehesu nana-bhavan vastuta eva anekan ksetrajna prthag-vidhan sukhi-duhkhi-tyadirupena vilaksanan yena jnanena vetti tat jnanam rajasam viddhi.'

  • Madhusūdanaadvaita-bhakti

    Madhusudan Sarasvati gives the most architecturally rich reading. The 'tu' (but) in the verse marks contrast with the sattvic knowledge of the prior verse. He identifies five categories of rajasic bheda (distinction): jivas from one another, jivas from Isvara, jivas from achetana (inert matter), Isvara from jivas, and achetana from Isvara — what he calls 'anapaudhika-bheda-pancakam' (five-fold unconditioned difference). Knowledge that affirms any of these five differences as ultimate — which the kutarkika-s (false logicians) do — is rajasic. The grammatical observation about karana mistaken for kartri (instrument acting as agent) echoes Sankara and is resolved in Madhusudana's advaita-frame, while the five-fold taxonomy is his own synthetic contribution.

    divergence: Madhusudan: 'anatmanam parasparain bhedastesamisvarat bhedas... anapaudhika-bheda-pancaka-jnanam kutarikikanam rajasam eva ity-abhiprayah.'

Sūtrakṛt-Gītā · v1.0 · gita.ekrasworks.com