BhG 5.16

syntax

yeṣām tu (but of those whose) ātmanaḥ (own / of the self) jñānena (by knowledge) tat ajñānam (that ignorance) nāśitam (destroyed) [bhavet] (it would be),
teṣām (of those) jñānam (knowledge) āditya-vat (like the Sun) tat param (that supreme) prakāśayati (it makes visible).

grammar

jñānena	–	jñāna 3n.1 n. – by knowledge, by wisdom (from: √jñā – to know, to understand);
tu	–	av. – but, then, or, and;
tat	–	tat sn. 1n.1 n. – that;
ajñānam	–	a-jñāna 1n.1 n. – ignorance (from: √jñā – to know, to understand);
yeṣām	–	yat sn. 6n.3 m. – of those whose (correlative of: teṣām);
nāśitam	–	nāśita (√naś – to destroy, to vanish) caus. PP 1n.1 n. – is destroyed;
ātmanaḥ	–	ātman 6n.1 m. – of the self, own;
teṣām	–	tat sn. 6n.3 m. – of those;
āditya-vat	–	av. – like the Sun (from: āditya – descendant of Aditi, the Sun; -vat – suffix: as, like);
jñānam	–	jñāna 1n.1 n. – knowledge, wisdom, intelligence (from: √jñā – to know, to understand);
prakāśayati	–	pra-√kāś (to become visible, to shine) Praes. caus. 1v.1 – it makes visible;
tat	–	tat sn. 2n.1 n. – that;
param	–	para 2n.1 n. – beyond, ancient, final, the best, the supreme;

textual variants

jñānena tu → ajñānenā-;
tad ajñānaṁ → tadājñānaṁ (then ignorance);
yeṣāṁ → eṣāṁ (them);
nāśitam → nāśitum (to destroy);

Śāṃkara

jñānena tu yena ajñānena āvṛtāḥ muhyanti jantavas tat ajñānaṃ yeṣāṃ jantūnāṃ viveka-jñānena ātma-viṣayeṇa nāśitam ātmano bhavati, teṣāṃ jantūnām ādityavat yathādityaḥ samastaṃ rūpa-jātam avabhāsayati tadvat jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ vastu sarvaṃ prakāśayati tat paraṃ paramārtha-tattvam

Rāmānuja

„sarvaṃ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṃ saṃtariṣyati /”, „jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurute tathā”, „na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ pavitram” iti pūrvoktaṃ svakāle saṃgamayati

evaṃ vartamāneṣu sarveṣv ātmasu yeṣām ātmanām uktalakṣaṇena ātmayāthātmyopadeśajanitena ātmaviṣayeṇa aharaharabhyāsādheyātiśayena niratiśayapavitreṇa jñānena tat jñānāvaraṇam anādikālapravṛttānantakarmasaṃcayarūpam ajñānaṃ nāśitam, teṣāṃ tat svābhāvikaṃ paraṃ jñānam aparimitam asaṃkucitam ādityavat sarvaṃ yathāvasthitaṃ prakāśayati / teṣām iti vinaṣṭājñānānāṃ bahutvābhimānād ātmasvarūpabahutvam, „na tv evāhaṃ jātu nāsam” ityupakramāvagatam atra spaṣṭataram uktam / na cedaṃ bahutvam upādhikṛtam; vinaṣṭājñānānām upādhigandhābhāvāt / „teṣām ādityavaj jñānam” iti vyatirekanirdeśāj jñānasya svarūpānubandhidharmatvam uktam / ādityadṛṣṭāntena ca jñātṛjñānayoḥ prabhāprabhāvator ivāvasthānaṃ ca / tata eva saṃsāradaśāyāṃ jñānasya karmaṇā saṃkoco mokṣadaśāyāṃ vikāsaś copapannaḥ

Śrīdhara

jñāninas tu na muhyantīty āha jñāneneti | bhagavato jñānena yeṣāṃ tad-vaiṣamyopalambhakam ajñānaṃ nāśitam taj jñānaṃ teṣām ajñānaṃ nāśayitvā tat paraṃ paripūrṇam īśvara-svarūpaṃ prakāśayati | yathādityas tamo nirasya samastaṃ vastu-jātaṃ prakāśayati tadvat

Madhusūdana

tarhi sarveṣām andādy-ajñānāvṛtatvāt kathaṃ saṃsāra-nivṛttiḥ syād ? ata āha jñāneneti | tad-āvaraṇa-vikṣepa-śakti-madanādy-anirvācyam anṛtam anarthavāta-mūlam ajñānam ātmāśraya-viṣayam avidyā-māyādi-śabda-vācyam ātmano jñānena gurūpadiṣṭa-vedānta-mahā-vākya-janyena śravana-manana-nididhyāsana-paripāka-nirmalāntaḥkaraṇa-vṛtti-rūpeṇa nirvikalpaka-sākṣātkāreṇa śodhita-tat-tvaṃ-padārthābheda-rūpa-śuddha-sac-cid-ānandākhaṇḍaika-rasa-vastu-mātra-viṣayeṇa nāśitaṃ bādhitaṃ kāla-traye ‚py asad evāsattayā jñātam adhiṣṭhāna-caitanya-mātratāṃ prāpitaṃ śuktāv iva rajataṃ śukti-jñānena śravana-manana-nididhyāsanādi-sādhana-sampannānāṃ bhagavad-anugṛhītānāṃ mumukṣūṇāṃ teṣāṃ taj jñānaṃ kartṛ | ādityavad yathādityaḥ svodaya-mātreṇaiva tamo niravaśeṣaṃ nivartayati na tu kaṃcit sahāyam apekṣate tathā brahma-jñānam api śuddha-sattva-pariṇāmatvād vyāpaka-prakāśa-rūpaṃ svotpatti-mātreṇaiva sahakāryantara-nirapekṣatayā sa-kāryam ajñānaṃ nivartayat param satya-jñānaānantānanda-rūpam ekam evādvitīyaṃ paramātma-tattvaṃ prakāśayati praticchāyā-grahaṇa-mātreṇaiva karmatām antareṇābhivyanakti |

atrājñānenāvṛtaṃ jñānena nāśitam ity ajñānansyāvaraṇatva-jñāna-nāśyatvābhyāṃ jñānābhāva-rūpatvaṃ vyāvartitam | nahy abhāvaḥ kiṃcid āvṛṇoti na vā jñānābhāvo jñānena nāśyate svabhāvato nāśa-rūpatvāt tasya | tasmād aham ajño mām anyaṃ ca na jānāmīty ādi-sākṣi-pratyakṣa-siddhaṃ bhāva-rūpam evājñānam iti bhagavato matam | vistaras tv advaita-siddhau draṣṭavyaḥ |

yeṣām iti bahu-vacanenāniyamo darśitaḥ | tathā ca śrutiḥ – tad yo yo devānāṃ pratyabudhyata sa eva tad abhavat tatha rṣīṇāṃ tathā manuṣyāṇāṃ tad idam apy etarhi ya evaṃ vedāhaṃ brahmāsmīti sa idaṃ sarvaṃ bhavati ity ādir yad viṣayaṃ yad-āśrayam ajñānaṃ tad-viṣaya-tad-āśraya-pramāṇa-jñānāt tan-nivṛttir iti nyāya-prāptam aniyamaṃ darśayati | tatrājñāna-gatam āvaraṇaṃ dvividham – ekaṃ sato ‚py asattvāpādakam anyat tu bhāto ‚py abhānāpādakam | tatrādyaṃ parokṣāparokṣa-sādhāraṇa-pramāṇa-jñāna-mātrān nivartate | anumite ‚pi vahny-ādau parvate vahnir nāstīty ādi-bhramādarśanāt | tathā satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ brahmāsti iti vākyāt parokṣa-niścaye ‚pi brahma nāstīti bhramo nivartata eva | asty eva brahma kintu mama na bhātīty ekaṃ bhrama-janakaṃ dvitīyam abhānāvaraṇaṃ sākṣātkārād eva nivartate | sa ca sākṣātkāro vedānta-vākyenaiva janyate nirvikalpaka ity ādy advaita-siddhāv anusandheyam

Viśvanātha

yathāvidyā tasya jñānam āvṛṇoti, tathaivāparā tasya vidyā-śaktir avidyāṃ vināśya jñānaṃ prakāśayatīty arthaḥ | jñānena vidyā-śaktyā | ajñānam avidyām | teṣāṃ jīvānāṃ jñānam eva kartṛ ādityavad ity-āditya-prabhā yathāndhakāraṃ vināśya ghaṭa-paṭādikaṃ prakāśayati, tathaiva vidyayaivāvidyāṃ vināśya taj-jīva-niṣṭhaṃ jñānaṃ param aprākṛtaṃ prakāśayati | tena parameśvaro na kam api badhnāti, nāpi kam api mocayati | kintv ajñāna-jñāne prakṛter eva dharmaḥ krameṇa badhnāti mocayati ca | kartṛtva-bhoktṛtva-tat-prayojakatvādayor bandhakāḥ | anāsakti-śāntyādayo mocakāś ca prakṛter eva dharmāḥ | kintu parameśvarasyāntaryāmitva eva prakṛtes te te dharmā udbudhyanta ity etad-aṃśenaiva tasya prayojakatvam iti na tasya vaiṣamya-nairghṛṇye

Baladeva

vijñā na muhyantīty etad āha jñāneneti | sarvaṃ jñāna-plavenaiva [Gītā 4.36] iti | jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi [Gītā 4.37], na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ [Gītā 4.38] iti cokta-mahimnā sad-guru-prasāda-labdhena sva-parātma-viṣayakena jñānena yeṣāṃ sat-prasaṅgināṃ tad-vaimukhyam ajñānaṃ nāśitaṃ pradhvaṃsitaṃ teṣāṃ taj-jñānaṃ kartṛ paraṃ prakāśayati | dehādeḥ paraṃ jīvaṃ vaiṣamyādi-doṣāt param īśvaraṃ ca bodhayati | ādityavat yathā ravir udita eva tamo nirasyan yathāvad vastu pradarśayati, tathā sad-gurūpadeśa-labdham ātma-jñānaṃ yathāvad ātma-vastv iti | atra vinaṣṭājñānānāṃ jīvānāṃ bahutvaṃ nigadatā pārtha-sārathinā mokṣe teṣāṃ tad-darśitaṃ aupādhikatvaṃ tasya praty uktaṃ neme janādhipāḥ ity upakramoktaṃ ca tat sopapattikam abhūt