BG 04.33 sreyan dravya-mayad yajnaj... cited

Expressions researched:
"jnana-yajnah parantapa" |"jnane parisamapyate" |"sarvam karmakhilam partha" |"sreyan dravya-mayad yajnaj"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.33, Translation and Purport:

O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice performed in knowledge is better than the mere sacrifice of material possessions. After all, O son of Pṛthā, all sacrifices of work culminate in transcendental knowledge.

The purpose of all sacrifices is to arrive at the status of complete knowledge, then to gain release from material miseries, and, ultimately, to engage in loving transcendental service to the Supreme Lord (Kṛṣṇa consciousness). Nonetheless, there is a mystery about all these different activities of sacrifice, and one should know this mystery. Sacrifices sometimes take different forms according to the particular faith of the performer. When one's faith reaches the stage of transcendental knowledge, the performer of sacrifices should be considered more advanced than those who simply sacrifice material possessions without such knowledge, for without attainment of knowledge, sacrifices remain on the material platform and bestow no spiritual benefit. Real knowledge culminates in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the highest stage of transcendental knowledge. Without the elevation of knowledge, sacrifices are simply material activities. When, however, they are elevated to the level of transcendental knowledge, all such activities enter onto the spiritual platform. Depending on differences in consciousness, sacrificial activities are sometimes called karma-kāṇḍa (fruitive activities) and sometimes jñāna-kāṇḍa (knowledge in the pursuit of truth). It is better when the end is knowledge.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

Ayam, in this world, in which we are at present, that is also becoming more miserable. At the present moment people are feeling so much painful in the modern existence because this process of yajña has been... Completely, people are engaged, "Work hard, earn money and be engaged in sense gratification." That's all. This is the whole program, at the present moment is going on. That cannot bring any peace and prosperity to the society. We have to perform yajñas. That is the natural law.

The Lord says, nāyaṁ loko 'sty ayajñasya: "Those who are not performing, for them, there is no happiness even in this world, even in this life." And kuto anyaḥ kuru-sattama: "My dear Arjuna, then what to speak of the next life. Oh, next life is still more miserable."

evaṁ bahu-vidhā yajñā

vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe

karma-jān viddhi tān sarvān

evaṁ jñātvā vimokṣyase

śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj

jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa

sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha

jñāne parisamāpyate

Now, Kṛṣṇa is concluding these different types of yajña. He says that śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa. Jñāna-yajña, jñāna-yajña means... This is jñāna-yajña, which we are doing here. We are discussing Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly and trying to understand every verse with reference to the Vedic reference and as far as our logic and argument goes. So this is called jñāna-yajña.

And dravyamaya-yajña means, just like yesterday, day before yesterdays, discussed that in the altar of fire we have to sacrifice clarified butter, grains, or sometimes animal sacrifice. They are called dravyamaya-yajña. So Kṛṣṇa says, śreyān dravyamayād yajñāt. That dravyamaya, that sacrificing goods or other things in the yajña, from that type of yajña, śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa. Jñāna-yajña, this philosophical discussion, logical discussion of the aim of life from authorized books like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, if we have discussion, this is called jñānamaya-yajña, with knowledge, jñānamaya-yajña.

So why jñānamaya-yajña is preferred? Sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate. Because after all, we have to acquire that knowledge which will make me a surrendered soul to the Supreme. That's it. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). So jñāna also means that to understand our position, to understand what is God, to understand what is our relationship with God, to understand why we are in this material world and what is our next life, wherefrom we have come, where we have the right knowledge, you can understand all these things. And when you understand everything, the path is clear, you can clearly understand that "I am the part and parcel of the Supreme; therefore my duty is to render transcendental service to the Supreme." That is the highest yajña, highest jñāna, knowledge, knowledge, yajña. So Kṛṣṇa advises that jñānamaya-yajña, sacrifice... Sacrifice.

Now, to understand these things you have to sacrifice some time, you have to sacrifice some labor, some attention. So these sacrifices are counted more than when we offer sacrificial goods in the fire. That is clearly stated here.

Now what is the process of this knowledge? That is also stated by the Lord.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

Now, if you have to acquire knowledge, then first of all, you have to find out a person who has already seen the light. Tattva-darśinaḥ. Tattva... Tattva means... In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tattva is described, the English translation is "Absolute Truth."

Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:

And our Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana... There were six Gosvāmīs. They were very good scholars, especially Jīva Gosvāmī. They have analyzed the characteristics of the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, and they have established that Kṛṣṇa has got the all the transcendental qualities of Godhead in Kṛṣṇa. And in Nārāyaṇa there are ninety-four percent of the transcendental qualities of the Absolute Truth. Similarly, in Lord Śiva there is eighty-four percent of all the transcendental qualities of the Absolute Truth. And in living being, as we are, we have got seventy-eight percent of the transcendental qualities. That is also in fraction, not in full.

So there are some scholars, analytical study like this. Now, the point is that Kṛṣṇa says that "All kinds of sacrifices, whatever sacrifice you can undertake..." There are different kinds of, mentioned, dravya-yajña, jñāna-yajña, yoga-yajña, so many. There are different types of yajña. But here Kṛṣṇa concludes, "All the different types of yajña," sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate, "whatever yajña you can perform, that's all right. But that is the different steps, different steps to come to the point of real knowledge."

Just like you have got your Empire State Building here and a two-story building. So you go up, you go to the twenty-fifth floor, you can go to the fiftieth floor, you go to the seventieth, seventy-five, eighty—in this way, unless you reach that one-hundred-second story, that is not the perfect progress. That is also progress. Suppose if you have gone to the eighty-fifth story, that is also progress from the downwards. That's all right.

But the highest, highest perfection of knowledge is, so far we study from the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. Bahūnām means after many, many births of culturing knowledge, when he comes to the real knowledge, real, perfect knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Not the fools, but jñānavān. He especially mentions jñānavān. Jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. Jñānavān the sign is that jñānavān surrenders unto the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest stage of knowledge.