Bhagavad Gita BG 3.41
Chapter 3, Verse 41 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ । पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् ॥ ४१ ॥
tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau niyamya bharatarṣabha pāpmānaṃ prajahi hy enaṃ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam
Meaning
Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, controlling the senses first, slay this sinful one — desire — which destroys both knowledge (jñāna) and wisdom (vijñāna).
Understanding
Krishna now pivots from diagnosis to prescription. Tasmāt (therefore) — having identified desire as the enemy — the practical response is: niyamya ādau (control the senses first). Why first? Because desire enters through the senses; controlling the entry point cuts off the supply line. The target is clear: pāpmānaṃ enam — 'this sinful one' (desire). The instruction is prajahi (slay / destroy / conquer). And the stakes are named: desire destroys both jñāna (theoretical knowledge, wisdom from learning) and vijñāna (practical wisdom, direct experiential knowledge). In other words, desire is not just ethically wrong — it actively destroys one's capacity for wisdom at both the theoretical and practical levels.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| आदौ | ādau | first / at the outset / from the beginning |
| नियम्य | niyamya | having controlled / after regulating |
| पाप्मानम् | pāpmānam | the sinful one / the sinful force (desire) |
| प्रजहि | prajahi | slay / destroy / conquer |
| ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् | jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam | destroyer of knowledge (jñāna) and wisdom (vijñāna) |
| तस्मात् | tasmāt | therefore |
| त्वम् | tvam | you |
| इन्द्रियाणि | indriyāṇi | the senses |
| भरतर्षभ | bharatarṣabha | O bull among the Bharatas (Arjuna) |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (causal) |
| एनम् | enam | this (sinful enemy — desire) |