FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 18.72

कच्च‍िदेतच्छ्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा । कच्च‍िदज्ञानसम्मोह: प्रणष्टस्ते धनञ्जय ॥ ७२ ॥
kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha
[kachchid etach chrutam paartha]
tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā
[tvayaikaagrena chetasaa]
kaccid ajñāna-sammohaḥ
[kachchid ajnaana-sammohah]
praṇaṣṭas te dhanañ-jaya
[pranashtas te dhanan-jaya]
kaccit — whether etat — this śrutam — heard pārtha — O son of Pṛthā tvayā — by you eka - agreṇa — with full attention cetasā — by the mind kaccit — whether ajñāna — of ignorance sammohaḥ — the illusion praṇaṣṭaḥ — dispelled te — of you dhanam - jaya — O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna) .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha
kaccit
whether
etat
this
śrutam
heard
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā
tvayā
by you
eka - agreṇa
with full attention
cetasā
by the mind
kaccid ajñāna-sammohaḥ
kaccit
whether
ajñāna
of ignorance
sammohaḥ
the illusion
praṇaṣṭas te dhanañ-jaya
praṇaṣṭaḥ
dispelled
te
of you
dhanam - jaya
O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna) .
  • kaccit — whether
    Interrogative particle. Soft, careful. The verse asks a yes-or-no question that allows the student to answer truly. Kṛṣṇa does not assume comprehension; he checks.
  • eka - agreṇa — with full attention
    Compound instrumental. Eka-agra — single-tipped. The verse asks not merely whether Arjuna heard but whether he heard with *concentrated* attention. Quality of listening is at issue.
  • sammohaḥ — the illusion
    From sam-muh — to be thoroughly bewildered. The specific moha — the bewilderment of 1.46 territory that opened the Gītā. The verse asks whether the original problem has been resolved.
  • praṇaṣṭaḥ — is dispelled
    Past participle — pra-naṣṭa, utterly destroyed. Kṛṣṇa wants to know whether the illusion has been *destroyed*, not merely shaken. The threshold is high.
  • dhanam-jaya — O conqueror of wealth
    Address. Kṛṣṇa uses Arjuna's victory-name precisely at the moment of testing whether the inner victory has occurred. The address itself is gentle encouragement.
O son of Pṛthā, O conqueror of wealth, have you heard this with an attentive mind? And are your ignorance and illusions now dispelled?
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)
Kṛṣṇa pauses to ask: did you take it in? Has your delusion-born confusion gone? The teaching now requires the student's verbal confirmation. The dialogue's pedagogical arc closes on consent.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The double 'kaccit' — one for attention, one for transformation — recapitulates the chapter-1 problem (delusion-grief) and checks whether the Gītā has done its work. The teacher's humility is striking: even after 700 verses he asks rather than assumes. Cf. the opening confession of Arjuna at 2.7.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे पार्थ! कच्चित् त्वया एकाग्रेण चेतसा एतत् श्रुतम् । हे धनञ्जय! कच्चित् ते अज्ञान-सम्मोहः प्रणष्टः?
he pārtha! kaccit tvayā ekāgreṇa cetasā etat śrutam | he dhanañjaya! kaccit te ajñāna-sammohaḥ praṇaṣṭaḥ?
O Pārtha, has this been heard by you with one-pointed mind? O Dhanañjaya, has your delusion-from-ignorance been destroyed?
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
कच्चित् एतत् श्रुतं पार्थ त्वया एकाग्रेण चेतसा । कच्चित् अज्ञान-सम्मोहः प्रणष्टः ते धनञ्जय ॥
kaccit etat śrutaṃ pārtha tvayā ekāgreṇa cetasā | kaccit ajñāna-sammohaḥ praṇaṣṭaḥ te dhanañjaya ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
कच्चित् kaccit ind. (indeclinable) interr. (interrogative) perhaps?, has it?
एतत् etat एतद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. this
श्रुतम् śrutam √श्रु p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. heard
पार्थ pārtha पार्थ (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular) O Pārtha
त्वया tvayā युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) by you
एकाग्रेण ekāgreṇa एकाग्र (adj.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular)n. with one-pointed
चेतसा cetasā चेतस् (n.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) mind
अज्ञान-सम्मोहः ajñāna-sammohaḥ tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. ignorance-delusion
प्रणष्टः praṇaṣṭaḥ प्र + √नश् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. destroyed
ते te युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) your
धनञ्जय dhanañjaya tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) voc.sg. (vocative singular)m. O winner of wealth

The Lord was acting as the spiritual master of Arjuna. Therefore it was His duty to inquire from Arjuna whether he understood the whole Bhagavad-gītā in its proper perspective. If not, the Lord was ready to re-explain any point, or the whole Bhagavad-gītā if so required. Actually, anyone who hears Bhagavad-gītā from a bona fide spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa or His representative will find that all his ignorance is dispelled. Bhagavad-gītā is not an ordinary book written by a poet or fiction writer; it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Any person fortunate enough to hear these teachings from Kṛṣṇa or from His bona fide spiritual representative is sure to become a liberated person and get out of the darkness of ignorance.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
72. O son of Pṛthā, have you heard this with close attention? O conqueror of wealth, have your ignorance and bewilderment been destroyed?
Commentary

The Lord speaks this verse with the intention of teaching it again to Arjuna, if he were unable to grasp the meaning fully.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
72. O son of Pṛthā, have you heard this with close attention? O conqueror of wealth, have your ignorance and bewilderment been destroyed?
Commentary

Thus the scripture and glorification of speaking and hearing it have been spoken. The Lord now asks about the comprehension of the meaning of the scripture and the realization of the scripture. kaccid is an indeclinable particle indicating a question. If you have not completely understood, then I will again teach it. That is the intention of the question.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

If Krsna, the teacher, is asking Arjuna, His student: "Do you understand now what you have to do? Have you heard properly?" And why is Krsna asking this? ‑ Because, out of His great patience and affection for His student Arjuna who was surrender to Him, if Arjuna haven't been able to understand, Krsna was fully prepared to explain the entire Bhagavad‑gita again.

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

Krishna asks if, Bhagavad-gita has freed Arjuna from ignorance and illusion

Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
18.72 O Partha, kaccit etat, has this that has been said by Me; been srutam, listened to, grasped through hearing; ekagrena, with a none-pointed; cetasa, mind? Or have you been inattentive? O Dhananjaya, kaccit, has; te, your; ajnana-sammohah, delusion caused by ignorance, bewilderment, natural indiscrimination; been pranastah, destroyed, for which purpose has there been this effort on your part for hearing the Scripture, and on My part, the effort of being a teacher?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
18.72 O Arjuna, have you heard attentively all that I have taught? Has your delusion caused by ignorance, been dispelled - that ignorance deluded by which you said, 'I shall not fight'?
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
18.68-72 Ya idam etc. upto Dhananjaya. The very act of explaining this among My devotees is itself an act of cultivating devotion towards Me. Whosoever shall declare etc : Whosoever directs the mind [of the devotees] by face to face method, following the best procedure prescribed in the scriptures; i.e., he who shall impart [this knowledge] - he becomes one with Me. This is an injunction [concerning the result] and not a sentence of praise. Likewise is [the case] in other places also.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
18.72 Has this been heard, O Arjuna, with one-pointed mind? Has the delusion of thy ignorance been destroyed, O Dhananjaya?
Commentary

18.72 कच्चित् whether? एतत् this? श्रुतम् heard? पार्थ O son of Kunti (Arjuna)? त्वया by thee? एकाग्रेण onepointed? चेतसा by mind? कच्चित् whether? अज्ञानसंमोहः the delusion of ignorance? प्रनष्टः has been destroyed? ते thy? धनञ्जय O Dhananjaya.Commentary It is the duty of the spiritual teacher or preceptor to make the aspirant understand the teaching of the scripture and to enable him to attain the goal of life (Moksha). If the student has not grasped the subject he will have to explain it in some other way with similes? analogies and illustrations. That is the reason why Lord Krishna asks Arjuna Has the delusion of thy ignorance been destroyedThis What I have told thee.Have you heard it? O Arjuna? with onepointed mind Have you grasped My teachingDelusion of ignorance The absence of discrimination which is caused by ignorance and which is natural. The destruction of delusion is the aim of all this endeavour on your part to hear the scripture and the exertion on My part as the teacher.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
18.72 O Partha, has this been listened to by you with a one-pointed mind? O Dhananjaya, has your delusion caused by ignorance been destroyed?
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
18.72 O Arjuna! Hast thou listened attentively to My words? Has thy ignorance and thy delusion gone?
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Arjava (Simplicity / Straightforwardness)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.7 BG 2.11 BG 4.35 SB 1.7.5 SB 11.29.41 SB 11.23.61 CC Madhya 24.320 CC Madhya 8.280 CC Madhya 6.254 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.3.16Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.9
Have you, with concentrated mind, heard this? Has your illusion of ignorance been dispelled, O Dhanañjaya?
Practical Applications
  • Periodically check yourself: has my own confusion been dispelled by what I've read?
  • If not, re-read.
  • Don't pretend dispelling that hasn't happened.
Reflection Questions
  • What confusion has the Gītā dispelled in me?
  • What confusion remains?

A teacher who has poured out a long instruction pauses to check: has the cup actually filled? Or has the listener been holding the cup at an angle? Kṛṣṇa's question is gentle but precise — he wants the student's own verification before they part.

📝 My note

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