4.38 In time, and within Krishna speaks
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते
तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति
na hi jñānena sadṛiśhaṁ pavitramiha vidyate
tatsvayaṁ yogasansiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati
Nothing in this world purifies like knowledge. One perfected in practice finds it in time, within.
Explanation
In time, and within.
Nothing purifies like knowledge — and one perfected in practice finds it kālena, in time, and ātmani, in themselves.
Two qualifications on a verse that could have been triumphant. It is not immediate and it does not come from outside, which is the same pair of honesties chapter 6 offers about practice.
Going further
Word by word
- na
- not
- hi
- certainly
- jñānena
- with divine knowledge
- sadṛiśham
- like
- pavitram
- pure
- iha
- in this world
- vidyate
- exists
- tat
- that
- svayam
- oneself
- yoga
- practice of yog
- sansiddhaḥ
- he who has attained perfection
- kālena
- in course of time
- ātmani
- wihtin the heart
- vindati
- finds
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One perfected in practice finds it in time, and within.
Two qualifications on a verse that could have been triumphant. Knowledge is called the great purifier, and then the finding of it is described as slow and internal — not delivered, not sudden, and not from outside.