Gita 04.36 – The subjunctive case underscores the redemptive power of spiritual knowledge

Bhagavad Gita 4.36 Even if you may be sinful. How sinful? The most sinful of all sinners. If you become situated on the Gyanaplava, on the boat of transcendental knowledge, Vrijanam, Vrijan is misery and this world is like an ocean of misery, Bhavasagar.

Vrijanam Santarishshasi, one will be able to go beyond this entire ocean of misery by the practice of the, by acquiring transcendental knowledge. So, Krishna is now in this section glorifying transcendental knowledge. In the previous verse he stated about two glories that it will, once you acquire that knowledge you will not fall into illusion and you will get a vision of the connection of all living beings with me.

Now here he is saying who can acquire that knowledge? Even the most sinful of sinners can acquire that knowledge. Apiche asi papebhya sarvebhya papa krittamaha. Even the most sinful of sinners can acquire this knowledge.

So, now the question may come up how can sinful people actually acquire this knowledge? There are multiple answers. One answer is that this is the subjunctive case. In English there are various ways in which statements are made and subjunctive case is used as a rhetorical device to talk about something which is not a reality.

If I were a millionaire then I would sponsor all the devotees who want to, sponsor the many devotees who want to publish their books. So, now that means when such a statement is made it's understood that I am not a millionaire. It's talking about a hypothetical situation to, that subjunctive case is used to talk about a hypothetical situation in order to emphasize a particular point or to endorse a particular course of action.

So, that means a devotee say who wants to help devotees write books and publish books. That desire is communicated by, I am not able to sponsor now but I would love to sponsor. That's what is communicated.

Somebody may say, oh if I just had the time I want to read the Bhagavatam again and again and again. If I just had the intelligence I would memorize all the thousands and thousands of verses of the Bhagavatam. So, these are, so subjective case it's a hypothetical possibility but the possibility is used to emphasize a particular point.

So, for example, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu may say that or he says to Srivasa Thakur being very pleased by this faith in Krishna that even if Lakshmi Devi becomes poverty stricken and has to beg from house to house still there will never be any shortage in your house. Now, this is clearly subjunctive case. Lakshmi Devi will not, Lakshmi Devi has not and will not become poverty stricken.

But such a statement is used to emphasize a particular point. That point is Srivasa Thakur will always be provided for. Similarly, Krishna is using a subjective case here.

He says that even if a person is the most sinful of sinners still that person on ascending the board of knowledge will cross over the ocean of misery. That means, now it's not that the person who is practicing Karma Yoga is a sinful of sinners. A person who is a Karma Yogi or any Yogi of any kind, the principle that I talked over here will apply also to Bhakti Yoga.

As Krishna talks about Bhakti Yoga in the progression of the Gita. Now, here Krishna emphasizes the point that this path can deliver anyone. The path of knowledge that he has given over here.

This knowledge ultimately we will see that it is the knowledge of Bhakti. Rajya Vidya, Rajya Gohiyam, Pavitra Vidyam Uttam. We will talk about this in 9.2. So, this knowledge, it can elevate anyone and everyone.

So, the emphasis for Arjuna is, Arjuna, you are not the most sinful of sinners. So, if even the most sinful of sinners can be delivered, then surely you can also be delivered. And therefore, Arjuna, act according to this knowledge.

Seek this knowledge and act according to this knowledge. So, one explanation is that this is a subjunctive. Now, subjunctive case.

Another is that actually if a person is most sinful, that person cannot actually acquire that knowledge by one's own endeavor or qualification. But the spiritual master's mercy can illumine even such a person. And that's why the Bhagavatam states that even what to speak of the lower caste, even the outcaste and the far, far outcaste.

That all kinds of degraded people, if they take shelter of one who has taken shelter of Lord Vishnu, they can all become elevated. So, by themselves, the very sinful people will not be qualified to practice yoga. What to speak of be qualified to practice yoga? They will not feel inspired to even inquire about it.

But by the mercy of the spiritual master, by the example, by the teachings, by the presentation, by the purity of the spiritual master, about whom Krishna has talked about just two verses ago in 34th verse. By their mercy, the person can become attracted and that person can become illumined. So, the point which Krishna is emphasizing for Arjuna over here is that, Arjuna, you can surely practice it and a seeker can practice it.

Don't underestimate the potency of yoga and don't overestimate your sinfulness. No matter how sinful you are, you are not that sinful, but even if you were that sinful still, then also you could be delivered. Such is the potency of yoga.

That is mentioned. So, that is the emphasis of this verse, of the first two lines. अपिचेदसि पापेभ्य सरेवेभ्य पाप कृत्तमः So, कृत्तमः is a superlative.

In English, we have good, better, best or bad, worse and worst. So, the strongest superlative is best or worst. So, like that, there is पाप कृत्तमः.

So, पाप कृत् is a sinner. पाप कृत्तमः is an even greater sinner. पाप कृत्तमः is the worst sinner.

So, Krishna is saying, even if such a person is the worst of sinners, even that person can be delivered. And then, in the C and D of this verse, Krishna uses a metaphor of a boat used to cross an ocean. सर्वं ज्यान प्लवे नेव प्लव is a boat.

And वृजिनम् संतरिश्यसि, normally, if somebody is trapped in an ocean, that person cannot go out of the ocean oneself. But, if that person somehow gets into, gets a boat, then that boat becomes the means by which that person can get out of the ocean. So, in an ocean, a boat is indispensable for getting out.

It is precious and it is indispensable. Like that, all of us are tossed in this ocean of mortal existence, in भावसागर, and it's almost impossible to get out of this भावसागर. Why? Because the भावसागर is not just unsurpassable, but it's also incomprehensible.

Unsurpassable means it's so big that we can't cross over it. But incomprehensible means it's so big that we don't even know which way to go. And that's why it's impossible to cross over it.

But if we get a boat, then that boat can enable us to cross over it. So, metaphorically, Krishna is going to use several metaphors. So, here he uses the metaphor of a boat to inspire us to take shelter of this knowledge and he assures, पुरुजिनम् संतरिष्यसी, that we can all cross over this ocean and attain the transcendental destination by taking shelter of this knowledge.

So, at one level, this section may seem to glorify knowledge. But you have to understand that Krishna has established the context very carefully. So, this is not the ज्यान that is to be acquired by the practice of ज्यान-योगा for which one has to renounce the world.

Krishna is saying this is the ज्यान that will develop organically if Arjuna practices, acts in a mood of service, acts in a mood of sacrifice. So, the knowledge that Krishna is glorifying, here ज्यान should not be considered as a glorification of the path of ज्यान-योगा. Rather, it is a glorification of the path of action.

Now, this action at this stage in the Gita's flow is कर्म-योगा. But कर्म-योगा will blossom into भक्ति-योगा. And भक्ति-योगा can give much more easily and much more swiftly the same glorious results of the supreme knowledge that is being talked about over here.

Thank you.