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Transcendental Knowledge
263
which goes on in the ocean of nescience. This material world is sometimes regarded as an ocean of nescience and sometimes as a blazing forest. In the ocean, however expert a swimmer one may be, the struggle for existence is very severe. If someone comes forward and lifts the struggling swimmer from the ocean, he is the greatest savior. Perfect knowledge, received from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the path of liberation. The boat of Krṣna consciousness is very simple, but at the same time the most sublime.
TEXT 37
यथैधांसि समिद्रोऽग्निर्भस्ससात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन । ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्ससात्कुरुते तथा ॥३७॥
yathaidhāṁsi samiddho'gnir bhasmasāt kurute'rjuna jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi bhasmasāt kurute tathā
yathā —just as;  edhāṁsi —firewood;  samiddhaḥ —blazing;  agniḥ —fire;  bhasmasāt —turns into ashes;  kurute —so does;  arjuna —O Arjuna;  jñāna-agniḥ —the fire of knowledge;  sarva-karmāṇi —all reactions to material activities;  bhasmasāt —to ashes;  kurute —it so does;  tathā —similarly.
TRANSLATION
As the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.
PURPORT
Perfect knowledge of self and Superself and of their relationship is compared herein to fire. This fire not only burns up all reactions to impious activities, but also all reactions to pious activities, turning them to ashes. There are many stages of reaction: reaction in the making, reaction fructifying, reaction already achieved, and reaction  a priori . But knowledge of the constitutional position of the living entity burns everything to ashes. When one is in complete knowledge, all reactions, both  a priori  and  a posteriori , are consumed. In the  Vedas  it is stated:  ubhe uhaivaiṣa ete taraty