Verse-67
Chapter 18 — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga
Verse 67
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
idam te nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana
na cāśuśrūṣave vācyam na ch māṁ yo'bhyasūyati
🕉 English Translation
Na hai bhakt tapp bhi na karta kabhi,
Kare ninda sunne ki iccha nahin.
Rahasya bhare jo yeh uttam vachan,
Kabhi na karo unse aise kathan.
📜 Translation
English
The secret sermon of the Gita should not be related to the one who is without austerities and devotion and nor to the one who is unwilling to hear or who cavils at Me.
This verse has also been targeted at many doubting personalities. The one who has to live in the narrowness of doubts, sarcasm or refutation, for them there is nothing worthwhile which can be said. The most secretive message described in the foregoing verses of the Gita is also not meant for all! For becoming or for gaining something it is necessary to have the required competence; if the competence is totally ignored and is not given due respect, if efforts are made for the ineligible, then how harmful the outcome for the society will be, can be observed in several cases in society of today. When due respect is given to ability, in any sphere it enhances its importance, value and usefulness. The Gita should be heard by all; it is good, but after hearing if there is no feeling of reverence and the inclination is to offer illogical arguments, to be sarcastic then listening in this spirit will give rise to only aberrations instead of building faith. That is why the Lord cautions.
If there is capacity of forbearance in the mind, if there is an eagerness to progress on the path of righteousness when confronted with troubles, difficulties and obstacles and inside prevails the spirit of faith with reverence towards the Lord and the scriptures and there is the spirit of devotion too, only then it is certain that the effect of listening to the Gita will be much more. If this is not the case then what will be the gain and effect of hearing the Gita? Through the medium of Sanjay, the message of the Gita had reached the ears of Dhritrashtra too, but what benefit was derived out of it? Even though the very first verse of the Gitaji is uttered by Dhritrashtra it remains the sole one. Dhritrashtra could not speak further as there was no effect of what had been heard by him.
In the one who is devoid of forbearance and devotion, the effect of the Gita is not visible soon. When the person does not have the desire to listen, even if you relate it to him, then he will find some fault or the other. He will criticise at the Lord, and no advantage will be derived by relating the most excellent sermon like the Gita to him. There are two conditions for deriving benefit–inside there should be spirit of enquiry and faith. Arjun became entitled to hear the teachings of the Gita or for being the chief listener of the Gita–the special reasons for it was his feelings for the Lord. His feelings were devoid of fault-finding and his faith filled with reverence towards Him. In the first verse of the 9th chapter the Lord Himself had used the word 'anusuyave' (non-critical and free from fault-finding) for Arjun.