Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 4, verse 36 · Krishna

Bhagavad Gita 4.36 · Api Chedasi Papebhyah

अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः ।
सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि ॥

api cedasi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ |
sarvaṃ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṃ santariṣyasi ||

Translation

Even if you were the worst of all wrongdoers, you would cross over all evil by the raft of knowledge alone.

Context

Spoken by Krishna in chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga — “The Yoga of Knowledge and the Renunciation of Action”, which has 42 verses.

Frequently asked questions

What does Bhagavad Gita 4.36 mean?

Even if you were the worst of all wrongdoers, you would cross over all evil by the raft of knowledge alone.

Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 4.36?

Krishna, speaking to Arjuna, in chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge and the Renunciation of Action).

Sanskrit text: traditional, public domain. Translation and explanation are our own.