Sanskrit
यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके । तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥
yāvān artha udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ
Translation
All the Vedas are as useful to an enlightened Brâhmana as is a tank in a place covered all over with water.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A memorable closing image for the whole ritualism critique: once a flood covers the land, a small reservoir dug for drawing water adds nothing new. The Vedas aren’t declared false, just superseded in usefulness once direct understanding is present — a claim about diminishing marginal value, not a rejection of scripture. It’s the last preparatory step before Krishna’s direct, practical instruction begins at verse 47. The image is carefully bounded: a well is genuinely useful until the flood; the ritual portion of the Veda is genuinely useful until realisation. Chapter 3 re-balances this by insisting the realised person still acts (BG 3.20).
Study deeper
Word by word
- yāvān artha udapāneयावान् अर्थ उदपाने
- as much use as there is in a well (yāvān + arthaḥ + udapāne)
- sarvataḥ samplutodakeसर्वतः संप्लुतोदके
- when there is a flood of water everywhere (sarvataḥ + sampluta-udake)
- tāvānतावान्
- so much
- sarveṣu vedeṣuसर्वेषु वेदेषु
- in all the Vedas (sarveṣu + vedeṣu)
- brāhmaṇasyaब्राह्मणस्य
- for the brāhmaṇa
- vijānataḥविजानतः
- who knows
Commentary
Site Commentary
This is the chapter’s first extended image rather than a direct proposition — a tank swallowed by floodwater. It arrives exactly where propositional argument about the Vedas’ relative value would otherwise need several more verses to establish; one concrete picture does in a line what abstract argument would take longer to earn, right before Krishna drops argument almost entirely for direct instruction in verse 47.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you've been trying to explain a shift in perspective through argument and it isn't landing, try a single concrete image instead — a well-chosen picture can convey in one line what several more paragraphs of reasoning would take longer to earn.
Professional
- When a written explanation of a technical tradeoff keeps needing more caveats to land, try replacing it with one well-chosen concrete example or analogy — a good image often clarifies scope faster than incremental precision does.
Family & Social
- When you're struggling to explain how you've changed to someone who knew you before, try offering one concrete image or story instead of a longer explanation — a single vivid example often communicates more than an abstract description of the change.
Ask yourself
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