BG 05.16 jnanena tu tad ajnanam... cited

Expressions researched:
"When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed" |"as the sun lights up everything in the daytime" |"jnanena tu tad ajnanam" |"prakasayati tat param" |"tesam aditya-vaj jnanam" |"then his knowledge reveals everything" |"yesam nasitam atmanah"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "5.16" or "When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed" or "as the sun lights up everything in the daytime" or "jnanena tu tad ajnanam" or "prakasayati tat param" or "tesam aditya-vaj jnanam" or "then his knowledge reveals everything" or "yesam nasitam atmanah"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 5.16, Translation and Purport:

When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.

Those who have forgotten Kṛṣṇa must certainly be bewildered, but those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are not bewildered at all. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvaṁ jñāna-plavena, jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi and na hi jñānena sadṛśam. Knowledge is always highly esteemed. And what is that knowledge? Perfect knowledge is achieved when one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, as is said in the Seventh Chapter, 19th verse: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. After passing through many, many births, when one perfect in knowledge surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, or when one attains Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then everything is revealed to him, as everything is revealed by the sun in the daytime. The living entity is bewildered in so many ways. For instance, when he unceremoniously thinks himself God, he actually falls into the last snare of nescience. If a living entity is God, then how can he become bewildered by nescience? Does God become bewildered by nescience? If so, then nescience, or Satan, is greater than God. Real knowledge can be obtained from a person who is in perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, one has to seek out such a bona fide spiritual master and, under him, learn what Kṛṣṇa consciousness is, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness will certainly drive away all nescience, as the sun drives away darkness. Even though a person may be in full knowledge that he is not this body but is transcendental to the body, he still may not be able to discriminate between the soul and the Supersoul. However, he can know everything well if he cares to take shelter of the perfect, bona fide Kṛṣṇa conscious spiritual master. One can know God and one's relationship with God only when one actually meets a representative of God. A representative of God never claims that he is God, although he is paid all the respect ordinarily paid to God because he has knowledge of God. One has to learn the distinction between God and the living entity. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa therefore stated in the Second Chapter (2.12) that every living being is individual and that the Lord also is individual. They were all individuals in the past, they are individuals at present, and they will continue to be individuals in the future, even after liberation. At night we see everything as one in the darkness, but in day, when the sun is up, we see everything in its real identity. Identity with individuality in spiritual life is real knowledge.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Some of us are under the spell of the modes of goodness, and some of us under the spell of the modes of passion, and some of us are in the modes of ignorance. So according to our own position in relationship with the modes of nature we create our work. Nādatte kasyacit pāpam...

nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ

na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ

ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ

tena muhyanti jantavaḥ

(BG 5.15)

Now, here everyone is addressed as jantu. Jantu means animals. Of course, in logic also, human being is called rational animal. They are classified among the animals, but they are called rational animals So here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, jantavaḥ. Jantavaḥ is the plural number of jantu. Jantu means animal. So nādatte kasyacit pāpam. A... Somebody is engaged in the activities of sinful activities, but he is not induced by the Lord that he should be engaged in sinful activities. Similarly, somebody is engaged in virtuous activities. So that virtuous activity is according to his own, I mean to say, association with the modes of material nature. Ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ (BG 5.16). But in this material world, either in the modes of ignorance or in the modes of passion or in the modes of goodness, they are all... Total, sum total, is ignorance. Sum total... Even a man is in the modes of goodness, that is also considered as ignorance because real knowledge, real knowledge is to know his relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is real knowledge. Unless one is elevated to that position, that what is his relation with the Supreme Lord, then all his so-called knowledge is also understood as ignorance.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Now, seven hundred years before, people were dying. Death was there. So has the advancement of material science during the seven hundred years, has stopped death? No. That is not possible. People were suffering from diseases seven hundred years before. Then has the material science so much advanced, stopped diseases? No. People were embarrassed with increase of population. Has that been stopped? No. People were embarrassed with so many death rate. Has that been stopped? No. That is now... Now, seven hundred years before, the sun was rising on the eastern side. Has the material science stopped the sun rising on the eastern side? Has it gone to the western side? No. Then what is this advancement? Simply defying the existence of God, is that the advancement of knowledge? If we materially calculate that... Practically the major questions which are embarrassing us... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We are embarrassed with the material miseries of life. That has not been solved. The major questions have been set aside. Simply by thinking that "There is no God. We are God. Science is everything," oh, do you think that is advancement of knowledge? No.

So therefore ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānam. This is, this sort of advancement of knowledge in the material science is also another type of ignorance. The Lord says, ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānam: "Real knowledge is now covered. Real knowledge, being covered by nescience," ajñānena tena muhyanti jantavaḥ, "therefore they are actually perplexed." So by the name of so-called advancement of knowledge the whole population of the world, they are now perplexed. Even we do not go into the details, but any sane man will admit that we are not advancing. Actually we are degraded in so many ways.

jñānena tu tad ajñānaṁ

yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ

teṣām ādityavaj jñānaṁ

prakāśayati tat param

(BG 5.16)

Tat param. This tat param word is very significant. Tat param means "in relationship with the Supreme Lord." That is called tat param. That knowledge is real knowledge. So jñānena, by spiritual advancement of knowledge, when you are advancing in spiritual advancement of knowledge, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then our, this ajñāna, or ignorance, that "I am the product of this material world," and therefore identifying myself with this body extensively and, I mean to say, centrally also... When we are not so much advanced in the material science we think extensively for other also to be in that category of knowledge. So jñānena tu ajñānaṁ yeṣāṁ nāśitam ātmanaḥ. Any person who has advanced in the spiritual knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then his, that covering of material knowledge is dissipated. How? Now, teṣām ādityavaj jñānam. Just like sun rising, the darkness of the night at once dissipated, similarly, when we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual knowledge, then our material conception of life is at once dissipated.

tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas

tan-niṣṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ

gacchanty apunar-āvṛttiṁ

jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ

(BG 5.17)

If actually we can advance in the spiritual knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then tad-buddhayaḥ, by that intelligence, tad-ātmānaḥ, being identified with Kṛṣṇa, tan-niṣṭhāḥ, having faith, good faith, tat-parāyaṇāḥ, and just a surrendered soul to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, gacchanty apunar-āvṛttim, then the result will be that after leaving this body he is not coming back again. Punar-āvṛtti means this repeated birth and death is stopped altogether. Gacchanty apunar-āvṛttim. Gacchanti means he goes to that place wherefrom he hasn't got to return back. Gacchanty apunar-āvṛttim. Punar-āvṛttiṁ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ. How that position can be attained? Now, jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ. Kalmaṣāḥ means reactions of sinful activities has been washed completely, then, by that knowledge, by advancement of spiritual knowledge, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are eligible now to enter into the kingdom of God from where we need not come back again.