श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः । ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥
śraddhāvāl labhate jñānaṃ tat-paraḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ | jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati ||
The faithful, devoted, sense-controlled person attains jñāna — and quickly reaches supreme peace.
Word by word (3)
- śraddhāvān labhate jñānam tat-paraḥ saṃyata-indriyaḥ
- — the faithful one who is devoted to it and controls the senses obtains knowledge · Śraddhāvān = one possessed of śraddhā (faith — śraddhā is not blind belief but the deep trust/confidence that comes from inner conviction; śrad = heart; dhā = to place — 'to place one's heart'). Labhate = obtains. Jñānam = knowledge. Tat-para = devoted to it, having that as the highest (tat = that [jñāna]; para = supreme, devoted). Saṃyata-indriya = one who has controlled the senses (saṃyata = controlled, from sam+yam; indriya = senses). Three conditions: śraddhā (inner conviction), tat-para (single-pointed devotion to jñāna), saṃyata-indriya (sensory discipline).
- jñānam labdhvā parām śāntim acireṇa adhigacchati
- — having obtained knowledge, one quickly attains supreme peace · Labdhvā = having obtained (gerund of labh). Parām śāntim = supreme peace (parā = highest, supreme; śānti = peace, cessation of disturbance). Acireṇa = quickly, without delay (a+cira = not-long = soon). Adhigacchati = attains, reaches (adhi+gam = to go toward with intent). The promise: jñāna obtained through the three conditions leads quickly to supreme peace. Not gradually — acireṇa (without long delay).
- tat-paraḥ
- — tat-paraḥ = devoted to That / having That as supreme (tat = That — referring to jñāna/Brahman/the Divine; para = highest/supreme/the other shore; tat-para = one who has Tat/That as their supreme orientation); the compound describes the internal posture toward jñāna: not casual interest but total commitment — Tat is the north star of the tat-para's orientation; śraddhāvān (faithful) + tat-paraḥ (devoted to That) + saṃyatendriyaḥ (sense-controlled) = the complete portrait of the jñāna-seeker
The person who has faith, who is devoted to knowledge, and who has controlled their senses — obtains knowledge; and having obtained it, quickly attains supreme peace.
A modern analogy
Three ingredients make a practice transformative: genuine conviction (you actually believe this matters), single-pointed focus (jñāna is your north star, not one of twenty goals), and sense-discipline (not feeding every distraction that arises). V39: these three together produce jñāna — and jñāna produces śānti (peace) quickly.
Take with you
- Śraddhā (faith/heart-conviction): the inner confidence that this path is real. Not certainty but committed trust.
- Tat-para (devoted to that): jñāna as the primary orientation, not secondary to career or reputation.
- Saṃyata-indriya (controlled senses): sensory discipline is not optional — scattered senses scatter the inner energy needed for jñāna.
- Acireṇa (quickly): the combination of these three accelerates the discovery of V38's svayam ātmani vindati.
V39 gives the three conditions for the discovery described in V38 (yoga-saṃsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati): 1) śraddhā (deep faith/conviction), 2) tat-para (devotion to jñāna as primary), 3) saṃyata-indriya (sensory discipline). Together these three are what makes a practitioner yoga-saṃsiddha — ripened through yoga. Shankaracharya: śraddhā is the root — without inner conviction, the other two become mechanical performance. Tat-para means not just intellectual interest but the existential commitment to jñāna as the highest. The result — jñānam labdhvā parāṃ śāntim acireṇa — is the parā śānti (supreme peace) that Ch.2's sthitaprajña description promised. V39 thus connects the entire Ch.2-4 arc.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
The man who is full of faith, devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses, obtains knowledge; and having obtained it, he quickly attains supreme peace. [1]
The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses, obtains knowledge; and having obtained knowledge, he ere long attains supreme peace. [4]
The faithful, the devoted, and the self-controlled man obtains wisdom; and having wisdom, he quickly attains the highest peace. [6]
He who hath faith, and maketh zeal his virtue, And hath subdued his senses, gaineth wisdom; And, having wisdom, soon attains to highest peace. [7]
The man of faith and devotion, who controls his senses, obtains knowledge; and, having obtained knowledge, he quickly attains the highest peace. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Nothing in this world purifies like jñāna. The karma-yogi finds it within themselves in time.
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
Whatever form a devotee seeks to worship with śraddhā — that very faith I make unwavering.
Faith follows one's inner nature. The person IS their śraddhā — whatever one's faith is, that is exactly what one is.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
No discipline → no wisdom → no contemplation → no peace → no happiness. The chain is unbroken.