Shloka 33
ध्यानयोगः — Dhyāna-Yoga
Discipline of Meditation and Mental Restraint
सम्बध--यहाँ यह जिज्ञासा होती है कि उन यज्ञोंगेंसे कौन-सा यज्ञ श्रेष्ठ है। इसपर भगवान् कहते हैं-- श्रेयान् द्रव्यमयाद् यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञ: परंतप | सर्व क्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते,है परंतप अर्जुन! द्रव्यमय यज्ञकी अपेक्षा ज्ञानयज्ञ अत्यन्त श्रेष्ठ हैः तथा यावन्मात्र सम्पूर्ण कर्म ज्ञानमें समाप्त हो जाते हैं:
śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñānayajñaḥ parantapa | sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate ||
The Blessed Lord said: “O scorcher of foes, the sacrifice offered through knowledge is superior to the sacrifice made of material offerings. For, O Pārtha, all action in its entirety finds its culmination and completion in knowledge.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Materially offered sacrifices have value, but the Gītā ranks the ‘sacrifice of knowledge’ higher, because true understanding purifies intention and reveals the right meaning of action; ultimately, all karma reaches its fulfillment when illumined and resolved in knowledge.
In the dialogue on the battlefield, Arjuna’s inquiry about the relative worth of different forms of yajña leads to the Lord’s clarification: external ritual offerings are surpassed by inner transformation through knowledge, which completes and perfects the purpose of action.