Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 13, Verse 11
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम्।एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोन्यथा।।
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
also searched as "adhyatma jnana nityatvam tattva jnanartha darshanam"
Translation
Constant contemplation on the knowledge pertaining to the self, reflection for the attainment of knowledge of the truth—this is declared to be knowledge, and what is contrary to it is ignorance.
Vāṇi's rendering
Staying near self-knowledge, eyes on the point of all truth — this is knowledge. Everything else is ignorance.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अध्यात्म-ज्ञान-नित्यत्वम्adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ | constancy in knowledge of the self; staying with it always, not visiting it |
| तत्त्व-ज्ञान-अर्थ-दर्शनम्tattva-jñāna-artha-darśanam | keeping in sight the point, the whole aim, of knowing what is real — knowing why one seeks |
| एतत्etat | this (appears as etaj before jñānam) |
| ज्ञानम्jñānam | knowledge |
| इतिiti | thus, so called |
| प्रोक्तम्proktam | is declared, has been said |
| अज्ञानम्ajñānaṁ | ignorance, not-knowing |
| यत्yat | whatever (appears as yad) |
| अतःataḥ | than this (appears as ato) |
| अन्यथाanyathā | otherwise, contrary (appears as 'nyathā after ato) |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Verse 11 mean?
It closes Krishna's description of knowledge with two movements: remaining constantly near knowledge of the self, and never losing sight of why one seeks truth at all. That steady nearness is what he calls jñāna. Whatever pulls away from it, however clever or useful, he names ajñāna — not wrong, simply not this.
What does adhyatma jnana nityatvam tattva jnanartha darshanam mean?
Nityatva is constancy — not a practice you return to but a place you live beside. Adhyātma-jñāna is knowing what you actually are. And darśana of the artha is holding the purpose in view, so the seeking does not drift into collecting. Steadiness, and a clear reason for it.
Does this verse say all other learning is worthless?
No. It says other learning is not this. Medicine heals, arithmetic counts, and Krishna does not sneer at either. He is drawing one line only: knowledge of the field is not knowledge of the knower. Keep your skills. Do not mistake them for having found yourself.
How do I practise constancy in self-knowledge?
Not by adding an hour. By noticing, several times a day, that something is looking out through your eyes and is not what it sees. That noticing is short. Repeated, it becomes nearness. Krishna asks for the returning, not for a state you must hold unbroken.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna has been listing knowledge for four verses — humility, patience, steadiness — and none of it looks like information. Now the list ends where it was always going: stay near the self, keep your eyes on what is actually true. Notice he does not say know. He says stay near, keep looking. Knowledge here is a direction of attention, not a stock of facts. And then the hard edge: everything else is ignorance. Not lesser knowledge — ignorance. The chemistry, the accounts, the news you follow closely. Useful, all of it, and none of it knowledge in this sense. Where your attention rests all day is what you actually know.