Shankaracharya's commentary, trans. Alladi Mahadeva Sastry (1897)
[1]Superior to sacrifice of material objects is the sacrifice of knowledge, O scorcher of foes. All action without exception, O son of Pritha, finds its culmination in knowledge.
BG 4.33
श्रेयान्द्रव्यमयाद्यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञः परन्तप । सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते ॥
śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa | sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate ||
"Knowledge-yajna surpasses all material sacrifice. Every action without exception culminates in knowledge."
All public-domain translations
5 translations · all pre-1928 or released to public domain · sources
Swami Swarupananda, Srimad Bhagavad Gita (1909)
[4]Superior to the sacrifice of any material thing is the sacrifice of knowledge, O Parantapa. All action in its entirety, O Partha, culminates in knowledge.
William Quan Judge, The Bhagavad Gita (1890)
[6]The sacrifice of wisdom is greater than any material sacrifice, O Arjuna; because all action without exception culminates in wisdom.
Sir Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial (1885)
[7]Better than gift of goods is gift of rite, Better than rite is meditation, better Than meditation is renouncement of fruit. All actions reach their consummation in knowledge.
K.T. Telang, Sacred Books of the East Vol. 8 (1882)
[9]The sacrifice of knowledge is better than the sacrifice of material things, O scorcher of foes. All action, O son of Pritha, in its entirety culminates in knowledge.