Shloka 16

Brahma-vidyā: Satya–Tapas and the Enumeration of Tattvas

Arjuna–Vāsudeva framed dialogue

Devanagari script

ज्ञान त्वेव परं विद्य: संन्यासं तप उत्तमम्‌ | यस्तु वेद निराबाधं ज्ञानतत्त्वं विनिश्चयात्‌ । सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं स सर्वगतिरिष्यते

Transliteration

jñānaṃ tveva paraṃ vidyāḥ saṃnyāsaṃ tapa uttamam | yastu veda nirābādhaṃ jñānatattvaṃ viniścayāt | sarvabhūtastham ātmānaṃ sa sarvagatir iṣyate ||

Translation

Vāyu dit : «Sachez que la vraie connaissance est l’accomplissement suprême, et que le renoncement (saṃnyāsa) est l’austérité la plus haute. Celui qui, avec une certitude inébranlable, comprend le principe de la connaissance sans entrave et voit le Soi demeurer en tous les êtres—celui-là est tenu pour “celui qui va partout”, dont la réalisation est universelle et sans limites.»

Word by Word

• {'jñānam': 'knowledge

• spiritual insight', 'param': 'supreme

• highest', 'vidyāḥ (vidyā)': 'learning

• true wisdom', 'saṃnyāsam': 'renunciation

• relinquishment of possessiveness and egoic claim', 'tapaḥ': 'austerity

• disciplined spiritual effort', 'uttamam': 'best

• highest', 'yaḥ tu': 'but whoever', 'veda': 'knows

• understands', 'nirābādham': 'unobstructed

• free from affliction or hindrance', 'jñāna-tattvam': 'the principle/essence of knowledge

• truth realized by wisdom', 'viniścayāt': 'with decisive certainty

• by firm ascertainment', 'sarva-bhūta-stham': 'situated in all beings', 'ātmānam': 'the Self', 'sarva-gatiḥ': 'one whose ‘going’ is everywhere

• universally oriented', 'iṣyate': 'is held to be

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• Ātman (the Self)
• sarvabhūta (all beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse elevates two complementary disciplines: (1) jñāna—clear realization of truth—as the highest attainment, and (2) saṃnyāsa—inner renunciation—as the greatest austerity. The mark of genuine knowledge is seeing the same Self present in all beings, which makes one’s vision and conduct universal rather than narrow or self-centered.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking as an instructor, defining what counts as the highest wisdom and the highest tapas. He characterizes the realized person as one who has decisively grasped the unobstructed truth of knowledge and perceives the Self within all creatures, thereby being regarded as ‘sarvagati’—unrestricted and universal in spiritual standpoint.