Chapter 4 Gnana Yoga Verse 22
Sloka
Shreyaan dravyamayaadyajnaaj jnaanayajnah parantapa;
Sarvam karmaakhilam paartha jnaane parisamaapyate.
Translation
Superior is wisdom-sacrifice to sacrifice with objects, O Parantapa!
All actions in their entirety, O Arjuna, culminate in knowledge!
Interpretation
After talking about the people who sacrifice to attain salvation and saying that the person who doesn’t sacrifice doesn’t even have a place in heaven or earth Lord Krishna in this sloka turns his attention to the superiority of wisdom and knowledge. He says that sacrifice that is made out of wisdom is much superior to the sacrifice made with the objects. The next point that Lord Krishna makes is about the actions. He says that all actions when they are entirely complete, culminate or mix with the knowledge. In other words knowledge is superior than all the other forms of sacrifices as well as the actions.
Extending Interpretation to Mankind’s Life!
The point to be observed here is the sacrifice of wisdom and comparing it to the sacrifice of objects. This is very important and relevant even in today’s world. First let us look at the sacrifice of objects. The sacrifice of objects include sacrificing animals and it also has people giving away cows as alms and giving away wealth to poor and needy hoping that these things would give them salvation. But according to Lord Krishna these things cannot give the salvation. The reason is simple, you will attain salvation only when you give something which is within you. So, anything that we mentioned above like sacrificing animals or giving away lands, money and wealth cannot bring salvation because these are all external things which are in no way related to human being or his soul.
Let us now consider the sacrifice of wisdom. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the assimilation of information that comes in the form of knowledge and synthesises itself to take a particular form. Wisdom exists in the soul. It is not limited to the knowledge gained by an individual in one single birth but it is the sum total of all the knowledge accumulated in his various births. Now if an individual gives that wisdom as a sacrifice it is much much superior than all the sacrifices that you make with objects. And last but not least, what is the source of wisdom? It is the knowledge. Without knowledge one can never be wise. So the knowledge is the base on which everything in this world is built and the person who has knowledge is the one who is worshipped above everyone else. He is the one who can attain salvation and go to the feet of Almighty!
