FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 2.52

यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति । तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥ ५२ ॥
yadā te moha-kalilaṁ
[yadaa te moha-kalilam]
buddhir vyatitariṣyati
[buddhir vyatitarishyati]
tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ
[tadaa gantaasi nirvedam]
śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
[shrotavyasya shrutasya cha]
Word-for-word
yadā — when te — your moha — of illusion kalilam — dense forest buddhiḥ — transcendental service with intelligence vyatitariṣyati — surpasses tadā — at that time gantā asi — you shall go nirvedam — callousness śrotavyasya — toward all that is to be heard śrutasya — all that is already heard ca — also .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yadā te moha-kalilaṁ
yadā
when
te
your
moha
of illusion
kalilam
dense forest
buddhir vyatitariṣyati
buddhiḥ
transcendental service with intelligence
vyatitariṣyati
surpasses
tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ
tadā
at that time
gantā asi
you shall go
nirvedam
callousness
śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
śrotavyasya
toward all that is to be heard
śrutasya
all that is already heard
ca
also .
Important Words
  • moha - kalilam — dense forest of delusion
    Compound — *the thicket of moha*. Kalila is a tangled grove. Moha is the chapter's recurring enemy. The image is precise: not merely confusion but the *tangle* one is lost inside.
  • buddhiḥ — intelligence
    The faculty that does the crossing. Not vairāgya alone, not bhakti alone — buddhi, the discriminating intelligence trained by yoga, is what passes through the thicket.
  • vyatitariṣyati — will cross beyond
    Future of vy-ati-√tṝ — to cross over completely. Triple compound: vi + ati + tarati. *Will cross all the way beyond*. The verse promises future tense; the journey is real but not yet finished.
  • nirvedam — indifference
    From nir + √vid — to be without interest. Often misread as 'depression'; here it is *spiritual disenchantment*, the natural loss of appetite for sense-objects that follows crossing moha. A mark of progress, not melancholy.
  • śrotavyasya — of what is to be heard
    Future passive participle of √śru — *that which is to be heard*. Paired in the verse with śrutasya (what has already been heard). Together, they cover the whole karma-kāṇḍa apparatus of revelation-collection. The veda-vāda's endless cycle loses its hold.
When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.
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)
Once your buddhi has crossed the dense forest of moha, the ritualistic anxiety to learn more, to perform more, will simply fall away. You will become indifferent to scripture-listening — past and future alike.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Moha-kalilam ('the thicket / dense undergrowth of delusion') is a vivid image — moha as a forest one is lost in. Once that is crossed, the relevance of ritual study (śrotavyasya, śrutasya) recedes — not because the Vedas are wrong but because their primary function (preparation for jñāna) has been served. Cf. BG 2.46's well-image; here it's even more direct.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
यदा ते बुद्धिः मोह-कलिलम् व्यतितरिष्यति, तदा (त्वम्) श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च निर्वेदम् गन्तासि ।
yadā te buddhiḥ moha-kalilam vyatitariṣyati, tadā (tvam) śrotavyasya śrutasya ca nirvedam gantāsi |
When your intelligence has crossed beyond the tangle of delusion, then you will become indifferent to what is yet to be heard and what has already been heard.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यदा ते मोह-कलिलम् बुद्धिः व्यतितरिष्यति । तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदम् श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥
yadā te moha-kalilam buddhiḥ vyatitariṣyati | tadā gantāsi nirvedam śrotavyasya śrutasya ca ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
यदा yadā ind. (indeclinable), relative adv., 'when' when
ते te युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) your
मोह-कलिलम् moha-kalilam मोह (m.) + कलिल (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound), 'thicket of delusion' tangle of delusion
बुद्धिः buddhiḥ बुद्धि (f.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) intelligence
व्यतितरिष्यति vyatitariṣyati वि+अति+√तॄ fut. (future) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice), 'will cross beyond' will cross beyond
तदा tadā ind. (indeclinable), correl. adv., 'then' then
गन्तासि gantāsi √गम् periphrastic fut. (future) 2sg., 'you will go to' you will attain
निर्वेदम् nirvedam निर्वेद (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), 'indifference, dispassion' dispassion
श्रोतव्यस्य śrotavyasya श्रोतव्य (gerundive of √श्रु) gen.sg. (genitive singular)n., 'of what is to be heard' of what is to be heard
श्रुतस्य śrutasya श्रुत (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) gen.sg. (genitive singular)n., 'of what has been heard' of what has been heard
च ca ind. (indeclinable), 'and' and
Purport

There are many good examples in the lives of the great devotees of the Lord of those who became indifferent to the rituals of the Vedas simply by devotional service to the Lord. When a person factually understands Kṛṣṇa and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he naturally becomes completely indifferent to the rituals of fruitive activities, even though an experienced brāhmaṇa. Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, a great devotee and ācārya in the line of the devotees, says: sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottaṁsasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me “O my prayers three times a day, all glory to you. O bathing, I offer my obeisances unto you. O demigods! O forefathers! Please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit, I can remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty [Kṛṣṇa], the enemy of Kaṁsa, and thereby I can free myself from all sinful bondage. I think this is sufficient for me.” The Vedic rites and rituals are imperative for neophytes: comprehending all kinds of prayer three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to the forefathers, etc. But when one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is engaged in His transcendental loving service, one becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection. If one can reach the platform of understanding by service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, he has no longer to execute different types of penances and sacrifices as recommended in revealed scriptures. And, similarly, if one has not understood that the purpose of the Vedas is to reach Kṛṣṇa and simply engages in the rituals, etc., then he is uselessly wasting time in such engagements. Persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness transcend the limit of śabda-brahma, or the range of the Vedas and Upaniṣads.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
52. When your intelligence has completely crossed the denseness of illusion, you will be indifferent to all that has been heard and all that will be heard.
Commentary

From the performance of niṣkāma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme Lord, you will develop this neutrality (yoga). When your intelligence has surpassed particularly (vi) and completely (ati) the denseness of illusion, at that time you will become indifferent to all the subjects about which you will hear, and have already heard. This you will achieve by destruction of doubts and misconceptions, through hearing instructions of scripture from Me. You will think “At the present, I must practice my sādhanas continuously.”

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
52. When your intelligence has completely renounced the denseness of ignorance, you will be indifferent to all that has been heard and all that will be heard concerning fruits of action.
Commentary

“When will my intelligence become directed towards ātma as I perform niṣkāma karma?”

When your intelligence completely gives up (vyati tariṣyati) the antakaraṇa, [Note: Antaḥkaraṇa refers to the internal organ, composed of mind, material intelligence and false ego.] a dense forest of ignorance, the cause of craving insignificant results (moha kalilam), then you will become indifferent to topics relating to these insignificant material results about which you have heard in the past, and will hear in the future. As the śruti says: parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo nirvedaṁ āyāt The brāhmaṇa (one who has knowledge), having examined the world attained by karma, becomes indifferent to it. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12 There is no rule about time: the person will become acquainted with that intelligence directed to ātmā by being indifferent to the results of action (whenever that occurs).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Because this Karma‑kanda Section of the Vedas describe how to gain fruitive benefits. But when one is intelligent he passes through this "dense forest of delusion" trying to get material benefits and heaven and trying to avoid material miseries. Then when one understands the purpose of the Vedas,

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

Persons in full Krishna consciousness transcends the limit of Shabda-Brahman (Range of Vedas and

Upanisads)

To engage in dutiful detached activities as explained in Texts 2.50 – 2.51, one must become disinterested in all hopes for sense gratification which are typically promoted in Vedic karma-kanda sections
This verse implies that Arjuna should rise above the calculation of happiness and misery and fight with buddhi (fixed intelligence)
Focus of Learning

(a) Example of indifference to Vedic rituals on strength of devotional service – Sripad Madhevendra

Puri (study purport)

(b) Neophyte must follow the ritual, but one must know the goal – Otherwise it is a waste of time.

This implies:

Vedic rites and rituals imperative for neophytes: All kinds of prayers three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to forefathers etc.
But one who is fully Krishna conscious becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection

(c) Analogy: Karma-kanda section is compared to the dense dark forest of illusion

(d) Who becomes indifferent to karma-kanda, even though he is an experienced brahmana – one

who understands Krishna and his relationship with Krishna

(a) Param-Padam (Vaikuntha-loka) refers to a state of no miseries – It is the place of liberated living

entities

Ref: SB 10.14.58 – Analogy: Shelter of the boat of lotus feet of the Lord makes the ocean of the material world as small as a calf’s hoof print

(b) Ignorance of ‘conditioned soul’ vs Position of ‘Great Souls’ – Conditioned souls do not know that:

Material world – Danger at every step
All material bodies anywhere in the universe are full of miseries
No adjustment possible by fruitive acts

(c) How do great sages get free – By devotional service

(d) Secret of Success and qualification to enter Vaikuntha planets

Know the constitutional position of living entity as eternal servitor of Supreme Personality of Godhead
To know the constitutional position also means to know the sublime position of the Lord
Fate of thinking of ‘Oneness with the Lord’ – repeated birth and death
One who wrongly thinks that the living entity and Lord are on the same level is understood to be in darkness and cannot engage in devotional service to the Lord

(e) Definition of Karma-yoga/Buddhi-yoga/Devotional service – Service for the cause of the Lord

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
2.52 When is attained that wisdom which arises from the purification of the mind brought about by the pursuit of (karma-) yoga? This is being stated: Yada, when, [Yada: when maturity of discrimination is attained.] at the time when; te, your; buddhih, mind; vyatitarisyati, will go beyond, cross over; moha-kalilam, the turbidity of delusion, the dirt in the form of delusion, in the form of non-discrimination, which, after confounding one's understanding about the distinction between the Self and the not-Self, impels the mind towards objects that is to say, when your mind will attain the state of purity; tada, then, [Tada: then, when the mind, becoming purified, leads to the rise of discrimination, which in turn matures into detachment.] at that time; gantasi, you will acire; nirvedam, despassion; for srotavyasya, what has to be heard; ca, and; srutasya, what has been heard. The idea implied is that, at that time what has to be heard and what has been heard [What has to be heard৷৷.has been heard, i.e. the scriptures other than those relating to Self-knowledge. When discrimination referred to above gets matured, then the fruitlessness of all things other than Self-knowledge becomes apparent.] becomes fruitless.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
2.52 If you act in this manner and get freed from impurities, your intellect will pass beyond the tangle of delusion. The dense impurity of sin is the nature of that delusion which generates attachment to infinitesimal results, of which you have already heard much from us and will hear more later on. You will then immediately feel, of your own accord, renunciation or feeling of disgust for them all. Sri Krsna now teaches the goal called self-realisation (Yoga) which results from the performance of duty as taught in the passage beginning with 'Now, listen to this with regard to Karma Yoga' (2.39) which is based on the knowledge of the real nature of the self gained through the refinement of the mind.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
2.52 See Comment under 2.53
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
2.52 When thy intellect crosses beyond the mire of delusion, then thou shalt attain to indifference as to what has been heard and what has yet to be heard.
Commentary

2.52 यदा when? ते thy? मोहकलिलम् mire of delusion? बुद्धिः intellect? व्यतितरिष्यति crosses beyond? तदा then? गन्तासि thou shalt attain? निर्वेदम् to indifference? श्रोतव्यस्य of what has to be heard? श्रुतस्य what has been heard? च and.Commentary The mire of delusion is the identification of the Self with the notself. The sense of discrimination between the Self and the notSelf is confounded by the mire of delusion and the mind runs towards the sensual objects and the body is takes as the pure Self. When you attain purity of mind? you will attain to indifference regarding things heard and yet to be heard. They will appear to you to be of no use. You will not care a bit for them. You will entertain disgust for them. (Cf.XVI.24).

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
2.52 When your mind will go beyond the turbidity of delusion, then you will acire dispassion for what has to be heard and what has been heard.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
2.52 When thy reason has crossed the entanglements of illusion, then shalt thou become indifferent both to the philosophies thou hast heard and to those thou mayest yet hear.
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)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 4.39 BG 5.20 BG 13.12 SB 1.2.20 SB 3.25.18 SB 11.20.30 CC Ādi 7.72 CC Madhya 20.117 CC Antya 5.122 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.1.1BRS 1.2.247
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When your intelligence crosses the dense forest of delusion, you become indifferent to all that is to be heard and all that has been heard.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize when 'more information' has become a form of delusion-forest rather than light.
  • Cultivate the capacity to be silent and unmoved by intellectual fashions.
  • Trust the inner clarity you already have rather than constantly seeking new framings.
Reflection Questions
  • What is my own forest of delusion right now, and what am I doing to cross it?
  • Where would less hearing serve me better than more?
Analogy

A forest fog that for years made every tree look like every other tree finally lifts; the traveler sees the path he has been seeking. Moha-kalila — the dense thicket of delusion — falls away, and what one used to hunger to hear and to keep hearing now produces only nirveda — sober disinterest in the noise.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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