Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 3 › Verse 39
Bhagavad Gītā 3.39: A fire never full
आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा ।
कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ॥
āvṛtaṃ jñānametena jñānino nityavairiṇā
kāmarūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Knowledge is veiled, O Kaunteya, by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire, an insatiable fire. Feeding desire does not extinguish it but enlarges it; contentment, not satisfaction, is what ends the hunger.
For children
Krishna says: “Wanting more is like a fire: the more you feed it, the bigger it gets. It never says, ‘That’s enough!’”
Kṛṣṇa continues describing desire, the enemy of 3.37.
Word by word
आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन — Wisdom is covered by this
- āvṛta: covered
- jñāna: wisdom, knowledge
- etena: by this
ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा — constant enemy of the wise
- jñānin: the wise
- nityavairin: constant enemy
कामरूपेण कौन्तेय — in the form of desire, Arjuna
- kāmarūpa: in the form of desire
- kaunteya: son of Kuntī (Arjuna)
दुष्पूरेणानलेन च — a fire that is never filled
- duṣpūra: hard to fill
- anala: fire
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.