Shloka 13
Bhakti–Akṣara-Upāsanā-Viveka
Devotion to the Personal vs. Contemplation of the Imperishable
तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थमहमज्ञानजं तमः । नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वताः
teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñānajaṁ tamaḥ | nāśayāmy ātmabhāvastho jñānadīpena bhāsvatā ||
Out of compassion for them alone, I—abiding within their very being—destroy the darkness born of ignorance by the radiant lamp of knowledge. In the ethical frame of the teaching, this affirms that true guidance is not coercion but inner illumination: compassion expresses itself as the removal of delusion, enabling right discernment and dharmic action even amid the pressures of war.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassionate guidance is portrayed as an inner act: the indwelling divine presence removes ignorance (tamaḥ) by awakening knowledge (jñāna). Ethically, it emphasizes that right action arises from clear discernment, not from external force—delusion must be dispelled so dharma can be chosen knowingly.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra crisis, the teaching explains how the divine supports those who turn toward truth: by residing within them and illuminating their understanding, the speaker promises to remove the confusion that obstructs righteous decision-making.