तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā |
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 4.34)
“Learn that [knowledge] through obeisance, inquiry, and service. Knowers and seers of the reality will teach [that] knowledge to you.”
Commentary
evambhūtātma-jñāne sādhanam āha—tad iti | taj jñānaṁ viddhi jānīhi prāpnuhīty arthaḥ, jñānināṁ praṇipātena daṇḍavan-namaskāreṇa, tataḥ paripraśnena ‘kuto’yaṁ me saṁsāraḥ? kathaṁ vā nivarteta?’ iti paripraśnena, sevayā guru-śuśrūṣayā ca | jñāninaḥ śāstrajñāḥ, tattva-darśino’parokṣānubhava-sampannāś ca, te tubhyaṁ jñānam upadeśena sampādayiṣyanti |
(Subodhinī-ṭīkā)
“In this way he describes the means of attainment in regard to knowledge of the self: tad … [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks BG 4.34]. ‘Learn that’ (tad viddhi) means come to know—acquire—[that] knowledge, ‘through obeisance’ (praṇipātena), that is, through prostrate obeisance to a knower [of that knowledge], then, ‘through inquiry’ (paripraśnena), that is, through the inquiry, ‘This saṁsāra [i.e., transmigration] of mine is because of what? And how can it be terminated?,’ and ‘through service’ (sevayā), that is, through personal attendance to the guru. ‘Knowers’ (jñāninaḥ), that is, those conversant in śāstra (śāstrajñāḥ), and ‘seers of the reality’ (tattva-darśinaḥ), that is, they who are endowed with unmediated experience [of the Self], will convey through instruction that knowledge to you (te).”
taj-jñāna-prāptaye prakāram āha—tad iti | praṇipātena jñānopadeṣṭari gurau daṇḍavan-namaskāreṇa, ‘bhagavan! kuto’yaṁ me saṁsāraḥ? kathaṁ nivartiṣyate? iti paripraśnena ca, sevayā tat-paricaryayā ca | ‘tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham’ iti śruteḥ |
(Sārārtha-varṣiṇī-ṭīkā)
“He describes the means in regard to attainment of that knowledge: tad … [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks BG 4.34]. [Attain that knowledge] ‘Through obeisance’ (praṇipātena), that is, through prostrate obeisance to a guru, a teacher of [that] knowledge, ‘through inquiry’ (paripraśnena), ‘This saṁsāra [i.e., transmigration] of mine is because of what? And how will it be terminated?,’ and ‘through service’ (sevayā), that is, through attendant service to him [i.e., the guru], as per the Śruti [i.e., the statement in Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: 1.2.12], ‘To know in depth that [which is unmade, viz., Brahman], he [i.e., an aspirant], with firewood in hand, should only approach a guru who is learned and possessed of fixity in Brahman.’”