Chapter 4, Verse 39
श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः | ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति ||४-३९||
śraddhāvā.Nllabhate jñānaṃ tatparaḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ . jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntimacireṇādhigacchati ||4-39||
Meaning
4.39 The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses obtains (this) knowledge; and having obtained the knowledge he attains at once to the supreme peace.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna names the three qualifications that make one fit to receive supreme knowledge. First, śraddhā — faith, a heart open and trusting enough to receive truth. Second, tatpara — wholehearted devotion, keeping the goal foremost. Third, saṃyatendriya — mastery over the restless senses. Without faith there is no receptivity, without dedication no perseverance, and without sense-control no steadiness of mind to hold the truth.
The reward is swift and complete: jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntim acireṇa adhigacchati — 'having gained knowledge, he attains supreme peace before long.' Notice that knowledge culminates not in mere information but in śānti, the deep peace that nothing can disturb. This is the Gita's promise to the sincere seeker: faith, focus, and self-discipline lead to wisdom, and wisdom leads quickly to the highest peace the human heart can know.
💡 Key Takeaway
Faith, wholehearted focus, and self-discipline open the door to wisdom — and wisdom swiftly brings supreme peace.
Related Verses
स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः | भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम् ||४-३||
sa evāyaṃ mayā te.adya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ . bhakto.asi me sakhā ceti rahasyaṃ hyetaduttamam ||4-3||
4.3 That same ancient Yoga has been today taught to thee by Me, for thou art My devotee and My friend; it is the supreme secret.
अर्जुन उवाच | अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः | कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति ||४-४||
arjuna uvāca . aparaṃ bhavato janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ . kathametadvijānīyāṃ tvamādau proktavāniti ||4-4||
4.4 Arjuna said Later on was Thy birth, and prior to it was the birth of Vivasvan (the Sun); how am I to understand that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning?
जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः | त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ||४-९||
janma karma ca me divyamevaṃ yo vetti tattvataḥ . tyaktvā dehaṃ punarjanma naiti māmeti so.arjuna ||4-9||
4.9 He who thus know, in their true light, My divine birth and action, having abandoned the body, is not born again, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.