The man of faith gains knowledge. Even one who has faith may set out only feebly, so He adds: intent upon it, applied to the means of gaining knowledge, the service of the teacher and the rest. Even one intent upon it may be of unconquered senses, so He adds: of restrained senses, one whose senses are turned back from objects. He who is thus, a man of faith, intent upon it, and of restrained senses, surely gains knowledge. Prostration and the rest, being outward, may be inconstant, since pretence and the like are possible; but it is not so with faith and the rest. So faith and the rest are the absolute means of gaining knowledge. And what comes of the gaining of knowledge? Having gained knowledge, he soon, quickly, reaches the supreme peace, the cessation named liberation. That liberation comes quickly from the right vision is a settled meaning, well established by all scripture and reasoning. In this no doubt should be entertained, for doubt is most sinful. How? He says.

Having thus gained knowledge from the teaching, the man of faith, intent on the growth of the knowledge taught, his mind held fixed there alone, his senses restrained from objects other than that, gains, before long, the knowledge that has reached the ripened state described. Having gained knowledge of such a kind, he reaches, before long, the supreme peace, attains the supreme nirvana.

This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.

Madhva's commentary treats verses 4.38 through 4.39 as a single passage; it is given in full at verse 4.38.