तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ | पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् ||४१||
tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau niyamya bharatarṣhabha pāpmānaṁ prajahi hy enaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam
Translation
Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin (lust) by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
Interpretation
The practical instruction: begin by regulating the senses (the outermost seat of desire). Then work inward. This is why spiritual practice begins with sense discipline (yama, niyama, pratyahara in yoga terminology). It is not the final goal, but the necessary starting point. Lust is 'jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam' — the destroyer of both theoretical knowledge and practical wisdom.