Bhagavad Gita 4.37: meaning and translation
Chapter 4: Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga. Krishna says
As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, Krishna says, so the fire of knowledge turns all actions (karma) to ashes.
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Bhagavad Gita 4.37
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन ।ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥
Yathaidhansi samiddhognirbhasmasatkuruterjunaJnanagnih sarvakarmani bhasmasatkurute tatha
yathaidhāṃsi samiddho’gnirbhasmasātkurute’rjuna |jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurute tathā ||
Our explanation As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, Krishna says, so the fire of knowledge turns all actions (karma) to ashes.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जैसे जलती हुई आग लकड़ियों को राख कर देती है, वैसे ही ज्ञान रूपी अग्नि सब कर्मों को राख कर देती है।
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- यथा yathā · as (indeclinable) Dictionary: yathā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 841, col. 2 “in which manner or way, according as, as, like”
- एधांसि edhāṃsi · firewood (noun (neuter), accusative plural) Dictionary: 2. edhas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 1 “fuel”
- समिद्धः samiddhaḥ · blazing (past participle (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: 2. sam-iddha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1164, col. 3 “set alight or on fire, lighted, kindled, ignited, inflamed”
- अग्निः agniḥ · fire (noun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: agni, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 5, col. 1 “fire; sacrificial fire”
- भस्मसात् bhasmasāt · to ashes (indeclinable) Dictionary: bhasma-sāt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 750, col. 2 “to or into ashes”
- कुरुते kurute · makes (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. kṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 1 “to do, make, perform, accomplish, cause, effect”
- अर्जुन arjuna · O Arjuna (noun (masculine), vocative singular) Dictionary: arjuna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 90, col. 1
- ज्ञानाग्निः jñānāgniḥ · the fire of knowledge (compound (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: jñāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 426, col. 1 “knowing, becoming acquainted with, knowledge”; agni, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 5, col. 1 “fire; sacrificial fire”
- सर्वकर्माणि sarvakarmāṇi · all actions (compound (neuter), accusative plural) Dictionary: sarva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1184, col. 3 “whole, entire, all, every”; karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
- भस्मसात् bhasmasāt · to ashes (indeclinable) Dictionary: bhasma-sāt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 750, col. 2 “to or into ashes”
- कुरुते kurute · makes (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. kṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 1 “to do, make, perform, accomplish, cause, effect”
- तथा tathā · so (indeclinable) Dictionary: tathā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 433, col. 3 “in that manner, so, thus”
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 62.
As a fire well kindled, O Arguna! reduces fuel to ashes, so the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes1.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - Supra, p. 60. ↩
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 62.
As a fire well kindled, O Arguna! reduces fuel to ashes, so the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes1.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - Supra, p. 60. ↩
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 56.
As the burning fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all actions to ashes.
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 102.
As blazing fire reduces wood into ashes, so, O Arjuna, does the fire of knowledge reduce all Karma to ashes.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 62. Bhagavad Gita 4.37.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 56. Bhagavad Gita 4.37.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 102. Bhagavad Gita 4.37.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 4.37: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 27, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/4/37/
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Bhagavad Gita 4.37
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन ।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥
“As a fire well kindled, O Arguna! reduces fuel to ashes, so the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 62, public domain)
“As the burning fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all actions to ashes.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 56, public domain)
“As blazing fire reduces wood into ashes, so, O Arjuna, does the fire of knowledge reduce all Karma to ashes.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 102, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/4/37/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 4.37?
Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 4 (Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.
- Updated
- October 27, 2026