🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 4.37

4.37 यथा as? एधांसि fuel? समिद्धः blazing? अग्निः fire? भस्मसात्कुरुते reduces to ashes? अर्जुन O Arjuna? ज्ञानाग्निः fire of knowledge? सर्वकर्माणि all actions? भस्मसात्कुरुते reduces to ashes? तथा so.Commentary Just as the sees that are roasted cannot germinate? so also the actions that are burnt by the fire of knowledge cannot bear fruits? i.e.? cannot bring man to this world again for the enjoyment of the fruits of his actions. This is reducing actions to ashes. The actions lose their potency as they are burnt by the fire of knowledge. When the knowledge of the Self dawns? all actions with their results are burnt by the fire of that knowledge just as fuel is burnt by the fire. When there is no agencymentality (the idea I do this)? when there is no desire for the fruits? action is no action at all. It has lost its potency. The fire of knowledge can burn all actions except the Prarabdha Karma? or the result of the past action which has brought this body into existence and which has thus already begun to bear fruits or produce effects.According to some philosophers even the Prarabdha Karma is destroyed by the fire of knowledge. Sri Sankara says in his AparokshanubhutiIn the passage his actions are destroyed when the Supreme is realised the Veda expressly speaks of actions (Karmas) in the plural? in order to signify the destruction of even the Prarabdha.There are three kinds of Karmas or reaction to or fructification of past actions (1) Prarabdha? so much of the past actions as has given rise to the present birth? (2) Sanchita? the balance of the past actions that will give rise to future births -- the storehouse of accumulated actions? and (3) Agami or Kriyamana? acts being done in the present life. If by the knowledge of the Self only the Sanchita and Agami were destroyed and not Prarabdha? the dual number would have been used and not the plural. (Sanskrit grammar has singular? dual and plural numbers). (Cf.IV.1019)

4.37 O Arjuna, yatha, as; a samiddhah, blazing; agnih, fire, a well lighted fire; kurute, reduces; edhamsi, pieces of wood; bhasmasat, to ashes; tatha, similarly; jnanagnih, the fire of Knowledge-Knowledge itself being the fire; kurute, reduces; bhasmasat, to ashes; sarva-karmani, all actions, i.e. it renders them ineffective, for the fire of Knowledge itself cannot directly [Knowledge destroys ignorance, and thery the idea of agentship is eradicated. This in turn makes actions impossible.] burn actions to ashes, like pieces of wood. So, the idea implied is that full enlightenment is the cuase of making all actions impotent. From the force the context [If the body were to die just with the dawn of Knowledge, imparting of Knowledge by enlightened persons would be impossible, and thus there would be no teacher to transmit Knowledge!] it follows that, since the result of actions owing to which the present body has been born has already become effective, therefore it gets eshausted only through experiencing it. Hence, Knowledge reduces to ashes only all those actions that were done (in this life) prior to the rise of Knowledge and that have not become effective, as also those performed along with (i.e. after the dawn of) Knowledge, and those that were done in the many past lives. Since this is so, therefore,

4.37 The fire of knowledge concerning the real nature of the self reduces to ashes the collection of endless Karmas accumulated from beginningless times, just as a well-kindled fire reduces to ashes a bundle of firewood.

4.36-37 Api cet etc. Yatha etc. The idea is this : One should exert is such a way so that the fire of knowledge remains well fuelled with the knot of firmness of conviction born of practice.

।।4.37।। यह दृष्टान्त सुपरिचित तथा अत्यन्त उपयुक्त है। ईन्धन की लकड़ियों का आकारप्रकार या रंग कुछ भी हो जब उन्हें अग्निकुण्ड में डाला जाता है तब सब का अन्तिम परिणाम एक ही होता है भस्म। उस भस्म के ढेर से हम विभिन्न लकड़ियों की राख को अलगअलग नहीं कर सकते। उनका मूलरूप सर्वथा नष्ट हो जाता है। इसी प्रकार पाप और पुण्य जो भी और जितने भी कर्म हैं वे सब ज्ञानाग्नि में भस्मीभूत हो जाते है। उनका पूर्व का कार्यकारण रूप नष्ट हो जाता है।कर्म फल प्रदान करते हैं। परन्तु सभी कर्म एक साथ ही फलदायी नहीं हो सकते। नियमानुसार जब वे परिपक्व हो जाते हैं तभी उनका फल प्राप्त होने लगता हैं। अनादि काल से जीव कर्तृत्व का अभिमान करके अनेक कर्मों को करता आ रहा है। इसीलिये उसे अनेक प्रकार के शरीर भी धारण करने पड़ते हैं। इन कर्मों का फलोपभोग आवश्यक होता है।शास्त्रों में इन कर्मों का वर्गीकरण तीन भागों में किया गया है (क) संचितअर्जित किये कर्म जो अभी फलदायी नहीं हुए हैं (ख) प्रारब्ध जिन्होंने फल देना प्रारम्भ कर दिया है तथा (ग) आगामी अर्थात् जिन कर्मों का फल भविष्य में मिलेगा। इस श्लोक में सब कर्मों से तात्पर्य संचित और आगामी कर्मों से है।इसलिये