Knowledge reveals what ignorance hides.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः |तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् ||५-१६||
jñānena tu tadajñānaṃ yeṣāṃ nāśitamātmanaḥ . teṣāmādityavajjñānaṃ prakāśayati tatparam ||5-16||
Use this verse when you need light in confusion.
Meaning
For those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, that knowledge shines like the sun and reveals the Supreme.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Knowledge shines like the sun when ignorance is removed.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives a hopeful image. Ignorance may cover wisdom, but when knowledge rises, it illuminates reality like the sun. The seeker does not need to create truth; they need to remove the covering. This is ideal for people who feel lost: clarity is not impossible, but it requires right knowledge and practice.
Read the traditional commentary
Following directly from the previous verse, Krishna offers the cure for delusion. When the ignorance that veils the Self is destroyed by jnana — true self-knowledge — that very knowledge shines forth adityavat, like the sun, revealing tat param, the Supreme Reality.
The sun image is perfectly chosen. The sun does not create objects; it merely illumines what was always there, hidden in darkness. Likewise, knowledge does not manufacture Brahman; it simply removes the obscuring cloud of ignorance so that the ever-present Supreme becomes self-evident.
The moment the inner darkness lifts, reality stands revealed in full clarity — not as something newly attained, but as something always present yet unseen. This is the optimistic heart of the teaching: liberation is the natural dawn that follows the night of ignorance.
In daily life
Seek clear understanding instead of staying in vague confusion.
A person confused about anger may become clear after learning the desire-anger chain from the Gita.
Try this today
Study one teaching that directly addresses your current confusion.
Knowledge rises in me like the sun.Reflect
What truth is waiting to be revealed in my life?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ज्ञानेन तु’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on self realization, in other chapters
- Verse 18.50Attaining perfection is not the end but the threshold to realizing the Absolute itself.
- Verse 6.27When passion is stilled and the heart is pure, supreme bliss comes to you of its own accord.
- Verse 4.35True knowledge ends delusion for good, revealing the same Self in all beings and all beings in the divine.
- Verse 11.1 · ArjunaTrue teaching is received as grace, and its first gift is the quiet lifting of inner confusion.
Swipe left for 5.17 · Spiritual transformation needs full alignment.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 5.16
Who says Bhagavad Gita 5.16, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 5.16, in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga (Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 5.16 mean?
For those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, that knowledge shines like the sun and reveals the Supreme. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 5.16 for daily life?
Seek clear understanding instead of staying in vague confusion. A person confused about anger may become clear after learning the desire-anger chain from the Gita.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 5.16 mean?
ज्ञानेन तु — but by knowledge; तत् अज्ञानम् — that ignorance; येषाम् — of those whose; नाशितम् — is destroyed; आत्मनः — of the Self.
Where does verse 5.16 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 16 of 29 in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 5.17.