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Bhagavad-gītā 18.67

इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन । न चाश‍ुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति ॥ ६७ ॥
idaṁ te nātapaskāya
[idam te naatapaskaaya]
nābhaktāya kadācana
[naabhaktaaya kadaachana]
na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṁ
[na chaashushrooshave vaachyam]
na ca māṁ yo ’bhyasūyati
[na cha maam yo ’bhyasooyati]
Word-for-word
idam — this te — by you na — never atapaskāya — to one who is not austere na — never abhaktāya — to one who is not a devotee kadācana — at any time na — never ca — also aśuśrūṣave — to one who is not engaged in devotional service vācyam — to be spoken na — never ca — also mām — toward Me yaḥ — anyone who abhyasūyati — is envious .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
idaṁ te nātapaskāya
idam
this
te
by you
na
never
atapaskāya
to one who is not austere
nābhaktāya kadācana
na
never
abhaktāya
to one who is not a devotee
kadācana
at any time
na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṁ
na
never
ca
also
aśuśrūṣave
to one who is not engaged in devotional service
vācyam
to be spoken
na ca māṁ yo ’bhyasūyati
na
never
ca
also
mām
toward Me
yaḥ
anyone who
abhyasūyati
is envious .
Important Words
  • atapaskāya — to one not austere
    Dative. The first disqualification: lack of tapas. Without some inner heat — discipline, fasting, restraint — the teaching has no surface to adhere to.
  • abhaktāya — to one who is not a devotee
    Dative. Without bhakti-orientation, the teaching cannot land in tattva. The whole point of verse 55 is that only bhakti accesses Kṛṣṇa as He is.
  • aśuśrūṣave — to one not engaged in (devotional) hearing-service
    Dative. Aśuśrūṣu — not desiring to hear. Without the listening posture, the teaching cannot enter. The Gītā is for the open ear.
  • abhyasūyati — is envious
    Verb — present indicative. The fourth disqualification — envy of Kṛṣṇa Himself. The envious cannot receive what the loving freely receive. The verse names the deepest disqualifier.
  • vācyam — to be spoken
    Gerundive — *fit to be told*. Negated in the verse: the teaching is *not to be given* indiscriminately. A discipline of restraint for the teacher: not every audience can receive every teaching.
This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Four disqualifying conditions for hearing this teaching: lack of tapas, lack of devotion, lack of willingness to listen, and active resentment of Kṛṣṇa. To such a one, the teaching is wasted at best and harmful at worst.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Adhikāra-niyama — fitness rules for transmission. The Gītā treats itself as initiatory knowledge to be guarded. Each of the four exclusions has a positive counterpart: the willing recipient is tapasvī, bhakta, śuśrūṣu, anasūya. Cf. 18.71 for the lower bound — even faithful hearing yields fruit.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
इदं ते अतपस्काय न, अभक्ताय न, अशुश्रूषवे न च — कदाचन वाच्यम् । यः मां अभ्यसूयति, तस्मै च न ।
idaṃ te atapaskāya na, abhaktāya na, aśuśrūṣave na ca — kadācana vācyam | yaḥ māṃ abhyasūyati, tasmai ca na |
This of yours is never to be spoken to one without austerity, without devotion, without willingness to hear — and never to him who envies Me.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
इदं ते न अतपस्काय न अभक्ताय कदाचन । न च अशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां यः अभ्यसूयति ॥
idaṃ te na atapaskāya na abhaktāya kadācana | na ca aśuśrūṣave vācyaṃ na ca māṃ yaḥ abhyasūyati ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
इदम् idam इदम् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. this
ते te युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of yours
अतपस्काय atapaskāya अ + तपस्क (adj.) dat.sg. (dative singular)m. to one without austerity
न na ind. (indeclinable) negation not
अभक्ताय abhaktāya अ + भक्त (adj.) dat.sg. (dative singular)m. to a non-devotee
कदाचन kadācana ind. (indeclinable) ever
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
अशुश्रूषवे aśuśrūṣave अ + शुश्रूषु (adj.) dat.sg. (dative singular)m. to one not eager to hear
वाच्यम् vācyam √वच् gerundive nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. to be spoken
माम् mām अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Me
यः yaḥ यद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. who
अभ्यसूयति abhyasūyati अभि + √असू pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) envies, resents
Purport

Persons who have not undergone the austerities of the religious process, who have never attempted devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, who have not tended a pure devotee, and especially those who are conscious of Kṛṣṇa only as a historical personality or who are envious of the greatness of Kṛṣṇa should not be told this most confidential part of knowledge. It is, however, sometimes found that even demoniac persons who are envious of Kṛṣṇa, worshiping Kṛṣṇa in a different way, take to the profession of explaining Bhagavad-gītā in a different way to make business, but anyone who desires actually to understand Kṛṣṇa must avoid such commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā. Actually the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is not understandable to those who are sensuous. Even if one is not sensuous but is strictly following the disciplines enjoined in the Vedic scripture, if he is not a devotee he also cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. And even when one poses himself as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa but is not engaged in Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, he also cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. There are many persons who envy Kṛṣṇa because He has explained in Bhagavad-gītā that He is the Supreme and that nothing is above Him or equal to Him. There are many persons who are envious of Kṛṣṇa. Such persons should not be told of Bhagavad-gītā, for they cannot understand. There is no possibility of faithless persons’ understanding Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa. Without understanding Kṛṣṇa from the authority of a pure devotee, one should not try to comment upon Bhagavad-gītā.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
67. This is not to be spoken to one without control of his senses, to one without true devotion, to one who does not render humble service, or to one who envies Me, thinking that I am material.
Commentary

Having given the instructions of the scripture of the Gītā, the Lord now indicates the process for passing on the information, starting a sampradāya. Atapaskāya refers to one who does not control his senses. The smṛti says: manasaś cendriyāṇāṁ ca aikāgryaṁ paramaṁ tapaḥ Concentration of the mind and senses on one object is the greatest austerity. Mahābhārata, Śānti Parvā, 23 Even if a person controls the senses, if he is not a devotee, he should not be taught. Even if he is qualified with three good qualities just mentioned (sense control, devotion and obedience), he should not be taught if he is envious Me, if he thinks that I am a combination of material qualities contaminating the pure Brahman.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
67. This is not to be spoken to one without control of his senses, to one without true devotion, to one who is not willing to hear, or to one who envies Me, thinking that I am material.
Commentary

In this verse the Lord instructs that the teachings of the Gītā which He Himself has taught should be given to qualified candicates only, not the unqualified. This scripture should not be spoken by you to a person who does not have sense control (atapaskāya). Even if he does control the senses, it should to be given to the non-devotee, who has no devotion to you, the teacher of the scripture, and to Me, the Supreme Lord, the maker of the scripture. And even if he controls the senses, and has devotion to you and Me, you should not teach to him if he has no desire to hear it. You should never speak it to that person who envies Me, the Supreme Lord, who possesses eternal form and eternal qualities, to that person who attributes material form and qualities to Me. The declension, nominative case (yaḥ) is used for the envious person instead of dative case which was used for the others in the list (atapaskāya, abhaktāya, aśuśrūṣave) to point out his particular degraded nature. The author of Vedānta says anāviṣkurvann anvayāt: the teacher should tell the disciple not to reveal the knowledge to the unqualified person, because that is the custom. (Vedānta Sūtra 3.4.50)

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Do not teach Bhagavad-gita to one who is:

Not austere
Not devoted to Krishna’s service
Envious of Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
18.67 Idam, this Scripture; which has been taught by Me te, to you, for your good, for terminating mundane existence; an vacyam, should not be taught (-na is connected with the remote word vacyam-); atapaskaya, to one who is devoid of austerities. It should kadacana, never, under any condition whatsoever; be taught abhaktaya, to one who is not a devotee, who is devoid of devotion to his teacher and God, even if he be a man of austerity. Neither should it be taught even asurusave, to one who does not redner service-even though he may be a devotee and a man of austerity. Na ca, nor as well; to him yah, who; abhyasuyati, cavils; mam, at Me, at Vasudeva-thinking that I am an ordinary person; to him who, not knowing My Godhood, imputes self-adulation etc. to Me and cannot tolerate Me. He too is unfit; to him also it should not be imparted. From the force of the context it is understood that the Scripture should be taught to one who has devotion to the Lord, is austere, renders service, and does not cavil. As to that, since it is seen (in a Smrti)-'to one who is intelligent or to one who is austere'-that there is an option between the two, it follows that this should be imparted either to an austere person given to service and devotion, or to an intelligent person endowed with them. It should not be imparted to an austere or even an intelligent person if he lacks service and devotion. It should not be taught to one who cavils at the Lord, even though he be possessed of all the good alities. And it should be taught to one whoserves his teacher and is devout. This is the rule for transmitting the Scripture. Now the Lord states the fruit derived by one who transmits the Scripture:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
18.67 I have taught you this most secret doctrine. This should not be imparted by you to someone who has not practised austere disciplines. Never should this be taught to someone who is not devoted to Me and to you, the teacher (i.e., when you have to play the role of a teacher of this doctrine). The meaning is that it should not be taught by you to someone who, though practising austerities, is not a devotee and does not serve Me. It is also never to be taught to one who has no wish to listen, even though he is a devotee. Nor should it be imparted to one who traduces Me, that is, who - when My nature, glories and attributes are described - discovers defects in them. The differences of case (from ablative to nominative form) is to teach that the last one is the most despicable character.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
18.67 Idam etc. If the secrecy of this knowledge is maintained it would yield success, because It is out of reach of all [ordinary] persons. When the knot of sin is cut off through observing austerities, then only the results of good act is ready to become ripe. Hence, austerity comes first. Due to austerity, faith is born. The same (faith) is devotion here. The faith, even if it is born, does not grow well, in case it becomes visible only for a moment and then perishes like lightning. Therefore to help its growth, the desire to listen to is [next]. In the case of certain person, even all this arises with regard to the useless knowledge of the dry Sankhya (reasoning) system that admits no Supreme Lord. Even with regard to a system that adimts the Supreme Lord, it may, n the case of another person-on account of his craving for fruit of action-emerge by raising the fruit-of-action alone to the status of importance and by humbling down one's own Worshipful Self to the role of an instrument in achieving that fruit It has been declared : 'The agent also [is an auxiliary], because he is for the action [enjoined].' (JS, III, i, 6); and 'Actions also [are auxiliary] because they are for the purpose of fruits.' (JS, III, i, 4). Thus in both the instances there is indignation, meaning 'disregard' with the Bhagavat (Self) - This is the purport.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
18.67 This is never to be spoken by thee to one who is devoid of austerities or devotion, nor to one who does not render service or who does not desire to listen, nor to one who cavils at Me.
Commentary

18.67 इदम् this? ते by thee? न not? अतपस्काय to one who is devoid of austerity? न not? अभक्ताय to one who is not devoted? कदाचन never? न not? च and? अशुश्रूषवे to one who does not render service or who does not desire to listen? वाच्यम् to be spoken? न not? च and? माम् Me? यः who? अभ्यसूयति cavils at.Commentary This The scripture which has been taught to you.Service To the Guru.The scripture can be taught to him who does not speak ill of the Lord? who is a man of austerities? who is devoted? who is thirsting to hear and who renders service to his Guru.One who cavils at Me He who disregards Me taking Me for an ordinary man? who does not like to be told that I am the Lord.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
18.67 This (that I have taught) you should not ever be taught to one who is devoid of austerities and to one who is not a devotee; also, neither to one who does not render service, nor as well to one who cavils at Me.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
18.67 Speak not this to one who has not practised austerities, or to him who does not love, or who will not listen, or who mocks.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 4.3 BG 9.1 BG 18.68 SB 11.29.30 SB 11.11.23 SB 1.1.2 CC Madhya 22.116 CC Madhya 25.277 CC Antya 5.124 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.10Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.22
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
This confidential knowledge is not to be explained to those who are not austere, devoted, or engaged in service — nor to those who envy Me.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize the unsuitability of teaching to certain audiences.
  • Don't cast pearls before swine; honor receptivity.
  • Discern audience before teaching.
Reflection Questions
  • When have I taught to unsuitable audiences?
  • What discernment is needed?
Analogy

A locksmith's master key is not handed to the careless, the resentful, or the spiteful. The teaching is real, but its recipient must be ready. To pour the Gītā into the wrong vessel is to crack the vessel and waste the pour.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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