Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 4, Verse 39
श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः।
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति।।
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति।।
śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ tat-paraḥ sanyatendriyaḥ
jñānaṁ labdhvā parāṁ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati
also searched as "shraddhavan labhate jnanam tatparah sanyatendriyah"
Translation
He who has faith, is intent on it, and has mastered his senses, attains knowledge. Having attained knowledge, he quickly goes to supreme peace.
Vāṇi's rendering
The one of faith, devoted, senses reined in, gains knowledge — and knowledge brings the highest peace, quickly.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| श्रद्धावान्śraddhāvān | the one who has faith, who trusts |
| लभतेlabhate | gains, comes to receive |
| ज्ञानम्jñānam | knowledge |
| तत्परःtat-paraḥ | given over to it, holding it as highest |
| संयतेन्द्रियःsaṁyata-indriyaḥ | with the senses reined in (saṁyata + indriyaḥ joined by sandhi) |
| ज्ञानम्jñānam | knowledge |
| लब्ध्वाlabdhvā | having gained |
| पराम्parām | the highest |
| शान्तिम्śāntim | peace |
| अचिरेणacireṇa | before long, without delay |
| अधिगच्छतिadhigacchati | reaches, arrives at |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 39 mean?
Krishna names what makes a person able to receive knowledge: faith, devotion to it, and senses held under one's own hand. Knowledge is not seized by cleverness; it comes to the one prepared to hold it. And once it comes, peace does not lag behind — it arrives quickly, acireṇa.
What does shraddhavan labhate jnanam teach about faith?
That śraddhā is not the conclusion of understanding but its condition. You trust the teaching enough to live by it, and living by it is how it becomes known to you. Faith here is not certainty about doctrine. It is the willingness to begin before all the answers are in hand.
Why does Krishna say peace comes quickly?
Because the delay was never in the truth; it was in us. Once knowledge is actually received — not merely heard — there is nothing further to travel. Peace is not a distant reward earned later. It is what remains when the misunderstanding that disturbed you finally drops away.
Do I need to control my senses before I can learn anything?
Krishna is not setting a gate you must pass before starting. Restraint and knowledge grow into each other. A mind pulled in six directions cannot hold what it is given. Begin with one place where your senses lead and you follow. Reining that one in is already the practice.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Faith comes first here, and that offends us. We want to be convinced before we commit. Krishna reverses the order: śraddhā is what opens the door knowledge walks through, not the reward for having walked. Not blind belief — a willingness to lean your weight on something before it is proved. Add devotion, add senses that answer when called, and knowledge arrives. Then peace, and quickly — acireṇa, without delay. Arjuna wants proof before he lifts the bow. You are asked for something smaller and harder: to trust the teaching enough to test it with your life.