Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 3, Verse 41
तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ।
पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम्।।
पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम्।।
tasmāt tvam indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣabha
pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam
also searched as "tasmat tvam indriyanyadau niyamya bharatarshabha"
Translation
Therefore, O Arjuna, control your senses from the outset and slay this sinful thing that destroys both knowledge and discernment.
Vāṇi's rendering
Master the senses first — then kill desire, the destroyer of wisdom and of knowing.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तस्मात्tasmāt | therefore, for that reason |
| त्वम्tvam | you |
| इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇi | the senses (sandhi: indriyāṇy + ādau) |
| आदौādau | at the outset, first of all |
| नियम्यniyamya | having reined in, having brought under command |
| भरतर्षभbharata-ṛṣabha | O bull among the Bharatas — Arjuna (sandhi: bharata + ṛṣabha) |
| पाप्मानम्pāpmānam | the sinful thing, this corrupter — desire |
| प्रजहिprajahi | strike it down, kill it |
| हिhi | indeed (sandhi: hi + enam) |
| एनम्enam | this one, this very thing |
| ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम्jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam | destroyer of what is known and of the power to discern it |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 41 mean?
It gives an order of operations. First rein in the senses, because that is where desire gets in; then turn and kill desire itself. Krishna calls it the destroyer of jñāna and vijñāna — of what you know, and of your ability to discern. Not a moral scolding. A description of how clarity is lost.
What does tasmat tvam indriyanyadau niyamya bharatarshabha teach?
It teaches sequence. Arjuna is addressed as bharata-ṛṣabha, bull among the Bharatas — strength is assumed, direction is supplied. Ādau means at the outset: sense-restraint is not the crown of the practice but its doorstep. Begin there, and the deeper work becomes possible. Begin elsewhere, and you argue with a flood.
Why does Krishna say desire destroys knowledge and discernment?
Because desire does not usually announce itself as wrong. It rearranges what looks true. Jñāna is what you have understood; vijñāna is the live capacity to distinguish. Desire dims the second first, so the first goes unused. You still know the right thing. You simply cannot see it while wanting.
How do I control the senses without suppressing myself?
Restraint here is niyamya — reining, as a charioteer reins horses he needs. Not amputation. You are not asked to stop seeing or tasting, only to stop being dragged. Watch which door pulls hardest, and hold it lightly closed for one hour. Notice how much clearer the thinking becomes.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna has just named desire's hiding places — senses, mind, reason. Now the order of battle. Not the mind first; the senses. Arjuna wants a philosophy; he is handed a sequence. Begin where desire enters, at the doors, because a mind already flooded cannot be reasoned with. Then, only then, strike at the thing itself. Notice what desire is charged with: not sin in the abstract, but the destruction of jñāna and vijñāna — what you know, and your power to tell one thing from another. Desire does not make you wicked. It makes you unable to see straight. Guard the doors tonight.