श्रीभगवान्
In plain words
The Blessed Lord said: Again I shall declare the supreme jñāna, the highest among all forms of jñāna, knowing which all the sages have gone from here to supreme perfection.
Word for word
Again I shall declare the supreme jñāna, the highest among forms of jñāna, having known which all the sages have gone from here to the supreme perfection.
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam
सर्वम् उत्पद्यमानं क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात् उत्पद्यते इति उक्तम् । तत् कथमिति, तत्प्रदर्शनार्थम् ‘परं भूयः’ इत्यादिः अध्यायः आरभ्यते । अथवा, ईश्वरपरतन्त्रयोः क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोः जगत्कारणत्वं न तु साङ्ख्यानामिव स्वतन्त्रयोः इत्येवमर्थम् । प्रकृतिस्थत्वं गुणेषु च सङ्गः संसारकारणम् इति उक्तम् । कस्मिन् गुणे कथं सङ्गः ? के वा गुणाः ? कथं वा ते बध्नन्ति इति ? गुणेभ्यश्च मोक्षणं कथं स्यात् ? मुक्तस्य च लक्षणं वक्तव्यम् , इत्येवमर्थं च भगवान् उवाच —
परं ज्ञानम् इति व्यवहितेन सम्बन्धः, भूयः पुनः पूर्वेषु सर्वेष्वध्यायेषु असकृत् उक्तमपि प्रवक्ष्यामि । तच्च परं परवस्तुविषयत्वात् । किं तत् ? ज्ञानं सर्वेषां ज्ञानानाम् उत्तमम् , उत्तमफलत्वात् । ज्ञानानाम् इति न अमानित्वादीनाम् ; किं तर्हि ? यज्ञादिज्ञेयवस्तुविषयाणाम् इति । तानि न मोक्षाय, इदं तु मोक्षाय इति परोत्तमशब्दाभ्यां स्तौति श्रोतृबुद्धिरुच्युत्पादनार्थम् । यत् ज्ञात्वा यत् ज्ञानं ज्ञात्वा प्राप्य मुनयः संन्यासिनः मननशीलाः सर्वे परां सिद्धिं मोक्षाख्याम् इतः अस्मात् देहबन्धनात् ऊर्ध्वं गताः प्राप्ताः ॥ १ ॥
In plain words
We already learned that everything that comes into being arises from the meeting of the field and its knower. But how, exactly, does that work? That's precisely what this new chapter sets out to show, beginning with the words 'the supreme, once again.' Or, put another way, this chapter shows that the field and its knower cause the world only because they depend on the Lord — not as independent principles on their own, the way the Sāṅkhya school imagines them. We also already learned that being caught up in prakṛti, and clinging to the guṇas, is what causes saṃsāra. But several things still remain unanswered: In which guṇa exactly does this clinging happen, and how? What even are these guṇas? How do they actually bind a person? And how would someone ever get free of them? And what does a truly free person actually look like? It's to answer exactly these questions that the Lord now speaks.
The word 'supreme' in the verse actually goes with 'knowledge', even though they're set apart from each other in the line. And yes, this has already been taught again and again throughout the earlier chapters — but I'm going to say it once more anyway. Why is this knowledge called supreme? Because what it's actually about is the supreme reality itself. And what makes it the best of every kind of knowledge there is? Simply that its fruit is the best fruit there is. Now, when we say 'of all knowledge,' don't think this means things like freedom from pride and the other qualities listed earlier. It means, instead, all the other forms of knowledge concerned with sacrifice and similar matters. Those other kinds of knowledge don't lead to liberation — this one does. That contrast is exactly why the verse praises this knowledge with two words, 'supreme' and 'best': to stir up real eagerness in the listener's heart. And it's precisely by knowing, by actually attaining, this knowledge that sages, renunciates, people given wholly to deep reflection, have all gone beyond, have all reached, the highest accomplishment there is — liberation itself — rising clean above this bondage to the body.
Close to the Sanskrit
It has been stated that everything that comes into being, comes into being from the conjunction of kṣetra and kṣetrajña. How is that so? For the purpose of demonstrating this, the chapter beginning 'the supreme, again' and so on is begun. Or, alternatively, for the purpose of showing the world-causehood of kṣetra and kṣetrajña as dependent on the Lord, not as independent, as in the view of the Sāṅkhyas. It has been stated that being situated in prakṛti, and attachment to the guṇas, are the cause of saṃsāra. In which guṇa, and how, does attachment occur? Or what are the guṇas? Or how do they bind? And how would release from the guṇas occur? And the defining mark of the liberated one is yet to be stated — for this very purpose the Lord spoke:
'The supreme' connects with the word 'knowledge', placed apart from it: although already stated repeatedly, not just once, in all the preceding chapters, I shall proclaim it again. And that knowledge is supreme because its subject-matter is a supreme entity. What is that? Knowledge that is the best of all forms of knowledge, because it has the best fruit. 'Of forms of knowledge' does not mean forms such as freedom from pride and the rest; what then? It means those whose subject-matter is objects to be known in connection with sacrifice and the like. Those other forms are not for liberation, but this one is for liberation; with this in mind, by the two words 'supreme' and 'best', he praises this knowledge, for the sake of producing eagerness in the listener's mind. Having known, having attained, which knowledge, all the sages, the renunciates, given to reflection, have gone beyond, have attained, the supreme accomplishment called liberation, beyond this bondage to the body.