Bhagavad-gītā 18.72
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
| Sanskrit | IAST | Grammar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
The Lord speaks this verse with the intention of teaching it again to Arjuna, if he were unable to grasp the meaning fully.
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.
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.
Krishna asks if, Bhagavad-gita has freed Arjuna from ignorance and illusion
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.
- BG 18 72 - Dravida Prabhu - San Diego 2011-02-23
- BG 18 72 - Gopal Krishna Goswami - Yaroslavl 2012-06-23
- BG 18 72 - Madhu Gopal Prabhu - ISKCON Radhadesh 2013-08-31
- Balaram Shakti Pr BG 18-72-78
- Dravida Pr BG 18-72 - 2011-02-23 San Diego
- Kratu Pr BG 18-72 Hindi
- NNP BG 18-72 - Sunday Feast Lecture - 2014-06-01 ISKCON Alachua
- Sarvabhauma Pr Hindi BG 18-72 - Onward - 2020
- Shubha Krishna Pr BG 18-72-73 Hindi
- BVVNarsimhaS BG 18-72
- Bhakti Vikas Sw BG 18-72-78 - Bhagavad Gita is not Outdated - 2008 Mumbai
- DGS BG 18-72-01-04
- GKG BG 18-72 - 2012-06-23 Yaroslavl
- GKG Hindi BG 18-72 - 2012-12-19 Ludhiana
- GKG Hindi BG 18-72 - 2012-12-25 ISKCON Gurgaon
- PrahladAnS BG 18-72 - Sunday Feast-Let%27s listen carefully - 2023-12-03 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS BG 18-72 Slovenian Translation - Poslu%C5%A1ajmo s pozornostjo - 2023-12-03 ISKCON Slovenia
- Ramai Sw BG 18-72 - 2001-04-29 ISKCON Perth
- 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.
- 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
Source: vedabase.io