Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2/Verse 46

यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः संप्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥२- ४६॥

yāvānartha udapāne sarvataḥ saṃplutodake ।

tāvānsarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ ॥2- 46॥

To the extent of the use of a full well in a deluge of water, similarly is [the use] of all the knowledge known of a Brāhman.  


Word-for-word translations

yāvān (adverb) (indeclinable) = to the extent of

arthas (masculine, nominative, singular) = use 

udapāne (masculine, locative, singular) = in a well

sarvatas (adverb) (indeclinable) = full

saṃplutodake (saṃpluta + udake) (compound) (masculine, locative, singular) = in a deluge of water 


tāvān (adverb) (indeclinable) = similarly 

sarveṣu (adverb) (indeclinable) = in all

vedeṣu (masculine, locative, plural) = in the knowledge 

brāhmaṇasya (masculine, genitive, singular) = of a Brāhman

vijānatas (past passive participle) (masculine, nominative, singular) = known


Commentary

This is one of my favorite verses from the Bhagavad Gita. 

I have to take issue with many of the past translations given I feel they twist the meaning of this verse to "politically tip the hat" to the Brāhman class at the expense of the grammar and with this the message of the verse is missed and taken out of context with the verses that surround it. This verse is conveying the message that when one can transcend the duality and the need for prosperity and be in a constant state of equilibrium; then one does not need to lean on knowledge of the priestly class because one knows how to balance nature and that which transcends nature. That is why the first part of the verse is saying, "A full well does not have to be dipped into when there is a deluge of water all around it." And the second part of the verse completes the metaphor saying, "Like a well, the Brāhman filled up with encyclopedic knowledge does not have to be dipped into because one is surrounded by the knowledge of equanimity." As a society we have gone so far out of balance with nature and that which transcends nature. We look for a full well when we are walking through a flood of fresh water.

Grammatically, the biggest issue I have with the past translations is ignoring the past passive participle assignment of the word "vijānatas" meaning "known". Previous translations treat "vijānatas" as a strict adjective, which is grammatically incorrect.