Bhagavad Gita BG 3.39
Chapter 3, Verse 39 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा । कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ॥ ३९ ॥
āvṛtaṃ jñānam etena jñānino nitya-vairiṇā kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca
Meaning
O son of Kunti, knowledge is covered by this eternal enemy of the wise — desire — which is like an insatiable fire (duṣpūreṇa analena).
Understanding
Building on v38's metaphors, Krishna now names the covering force explicitly and with maximum severity. Kāma is the nitya-vairiṇa — the eternal enemy — not a temporary foe but a permanent adversary of the wise (jñāninaḥ). Two more epithets: duṣpūreṇa (impossible to fill / insatiable — duṣ = difficult, pūra = to fill) and analena (like fire — anala = fire, also meaning 'that which does not say enough,' literally 'that which has no alam/sufficiency'). Fire is the perfect metaphor for desire: adding fuel only increases the fire; satisfaction of desire only creates more desire. This is why desire is such a formidable enemy — it cannot be defeated by giving it what it wants.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| नित्यवैरिणा | nitya-vairiṇā | by the eternal enemy / the perpetual foe |
| कामरूपेण | kāma-rūpeṇa | in the form of desire / by desire |
| दुष्पूरेण | duṣpūreṇa | by the insatiable / impossible to fill |
| अनलेन | analena | like fire / by the fire (of desire) |
| ज्ञानिनः | jñāninaḥ | of the wise / of the knower |
| आवृतम् | āvṛtam | is covered / is veiled / is enveloped |
| ज्ञानम् | jñānam | knowledge / wisdom |
| एतेन | etena | by this (eternal enemy — desire) |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | O son of Kunti (Arjuna) |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |