अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः।
सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि।।4.36।।
4.36 Even if you be the worst sinner among all sinners, still you will cross over all the wickedness with the raft of Knowledge alone.
4.36 Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt verily cross all sins by the raft of knowledge.
4.36. Even if you are the highest sinner amongst all sinners, you shall cross over [the ocean of] all the sin just by the boat of knowledge.
4.36 अपि even? चेत् if? असि (thou) art? पापेभ्यः than sinners? सर्वेभ्यः (than) all? पापकृत्तमः most sinful? सर्वम् all? ज्ञानप्लवेन by the raft of knowledge? एव alone? वृजिनम् sin? सन्तरिष्यसि (thou) shalt cross.Commentary You can cross the ocean of sin with the boat of the knowledge of the Self. (Cf.IX.30)
4.36 Api cet asi, even if you be; papa-krt-tamah, the worst sinner, extremely sinful; sarvhyah, among all; paphyah, the sinners (papa, lit. sin, means here sinner) ; still santarisyasi, you will cross over; sarvam, all; the vrjinam, wickedness, the ocean of wickedness, sin; [Ast. reads papa-samudram, (ocean of sin) in place of papam.-Tr.] jnana-plavena eva, with the raft of Knowledge alone, by using Knowledge alone as a float. Here [Here, in the scriptures imparting spiritual instructions.], righteousness (formal religious observance), too, is said to be an evil in the case of one aspiring for Liberation. How Knowledge destroys sin is being told with the help of an illustration:
4.36 See Comment under 4.37
4.36 Even though you be the most sinful of all sinners, you will completely cross over the sea of sins previoulsy accumulated, with the boat of knowledge concerning the self.
This verse is a glorification of knowledge. If you are more sinful than all sinners, how can you achieve purity of heart, and without purity of heart, how can you get realization of knowledge? Actually, it is not possible for one who has attained knowledge to commit sinful acts. Madhusudana Sarasvati explains: the words api and cet are used to show the assumption of the impossible; though the commission of sin would be impossible, the assumption is made to show the results of attaining knowledge.
Lord Krishna now exclaims that even if one was an incorrigible sinner previously if they approach a self-realised being and receive this knowledge from him they will easily cross over the ocean of all their sins solely by the potency of this spiritual knowledge.
There is no commentary for this verse.
To emphasise the power of spiritual knowledge Lord Krishna specifically states in this verse that even the most incorrigible sinner is redeemed if changing their ways acquires and applies spiritual knowledge in their consciousness.
To emphasise the power of spiritual knowledge Lord Krishna specifically states in this verse that even the most incorrigible sinner is redeemed if changing their ways acquires and applies spiritual knowledge in their consciousness.
Api chedasi paapebhyah sarvebhyah paapakrittamah; Sarvam jnaanaplavenaiva vrijinam santarishyasi.
api—even; chet—if; asi—you are; pāpebhyaḥ—sinners; sarvebhyaḥ—of all; pāpa-kṛit-tamaḥ—most sinful; sarvam—all; jñāna-plavena—by the boat of divine knowledge; eva—certainly; vṛijinam—sin; santariṣhyasi—you shall cross over
