Into blind darkness enter those who worship ignorance. Into greater darkness, those who delight in knowledge alone.

This verse begins a crucial section warning against two extremes.

Andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye avidyām upāsate — into blind darkness enter those who worship avidyā (ignorance). Avidyā here refers to exclusive occupation with rituals, actions, and the material world, without seeking knowledge of ultimate reality.

Tataḥ bhūyaḥ iva te tamaḥ — into even greater darkness. What follows is surprising.

Ye u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ — those who delight only in vidyā (knowledge). This seems contradictory: how can knowledge lead to greater darkness than ignorance?

The key is in ratāḥ — those who delight, who are exclusively absorbed. The problem is not knowledge but exclusive attachment to it. One who only studies scriptures, only meditates, only seeks spiritual experiences, without integrating that knowledge into active life, falls into a subtle trap: spiritual pride, dissociation from the world, the belief of being superior.

This verse establishes that neither action alone nor knowledge alone is sufficient. The Īśopaniṣad, as the first verse already indicated, teaches integration: knowledge and action, meditation and life in the world. This is the path of integral yoga that avoids the extremes of materialism and spiritual escapism.