FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 6.39

ఏతన్మే సంశయం కృష్ణ ఛేత్తుమర్హస్యశేషత: । త్వదన్య: సంశయస్యాస్య ఛేత్తా న హ్యుపపద్యతే ॥ ౩౯ ॥
etan me saṁśayaṁ kṛṣṇa
[etan me samshayam krishna]
chettum arhasy aśeṣataḥ
[chettum arhasy asheshatah]
tvad-anyaḥ saṁśayasyāsya
[tvad-anyah samshayasyaasya]
chettā na hy upapadyate
[chettaa na hy upapadyate]
Word-for-word
etat — this is me — my saṁśayam — doubt kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa chettum — to dispel arhasi — You are requested aśeṣataḥ — completely tvat — than You anyaḥ — other saṁśayasya — of the doubt asya — this chettā — remover na — never hi — certainly upapadyate — is to be found .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
etan me saṁśayaṁ kṛṣṇa
etat
this is
me
my
saṁśayam
doubt
kṛṣṇa
O Kṛṣṇa
chettum arhasy aśeṣataḥ
chettum
to dispel
arhasi
You are requested
aśeṣataḥ
completely
tvad-anyaḥ saṁśayasyāsya
tvat
than You
anyaḥ
other
saṁśayasya
of the doubt
asya
this
chettā na hy upapadyate
chettā
remover
na
never
hi
certainly
upapadyate
is to be found .
Important Words
  • saṁśayam — doubt
    Sam-śaya — 'lying-together, suspension between two possibilities.' Not ignorance — a specific suspended state. Arjuna names his doubt as saṁśaya, the precise term that Kṛṣṇa will eventually instruct him (4.42) to slice with the sword of knowledge.
  • chettum — to dispel
    Infinitive of √chid, 'to cut.' Doubt is not soothed; it is cut. The verb anticipates the gītā-jñāna-asi of 4.42. The same root will return.
  • arhasi — You are requested / You are qualified
    From √arh — 'to be worthy, to be entitled.' A doubled meaning: 'You alone are the worthy one; therefore, please cut it.' Arjuna's address has both deference and pleading.
  • aśeṣataḥ — completely
    A-śeṣa, 'without remainder.' The cut must be total — no fragment of the doubt to grow back. Same word as the aśeṣataḥ of 6.24. The chapter's vocabulary of completeness.
  • tvat anyaḥ — other than You
    Tvat — 'than You'; anya — 'other.' The exclusivity is explicit. Arjuna names that no other resource exists for this question. The deepest doubts are not solved by reading more; they are solved by speaking to the right Person.
  • upapadyate — is to be found
    Upa-√pad — 'to come near, to be available.' Passive. The verse closes by saying that no other dispenser of this answer comes within reach. Kṛṣṇa is the unique source — and so the next verse, 6.40, is the unique answer.
This is my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for You, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.
Purport

Kṛṣṇa is the perfect knower of past, present and future. In the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord said that all living entities existed individually in the past, they exist now in the present, and they continue to retain individual identity in the future, even after liberation from the material entanglement. So He has already cleared up the question of the future of the individual living entity. Now, Arjuna wants to know of the future of the unsuccessful transcendentalist. No one is equal to or above Kṛṣṇa, and certainly the so-called great sages and philosophers who are at the mercy of material nature cannot equal Him. Therefore the verdict of Kṛṣṇa is the final and complete answer to all doubts, because He knows past, present and future perfectly – but no one knows Him. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees alone can know what is what.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
39. You should fully destroy my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa. No one can be the destroyer of this doubt except You.
Commentary

Etat (etan) stands for etam (accusative case). śrī-bhagavān uvāca

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
39. You should fully destroy my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa. No one can be the destroyer of this doubt except You.
Commentary

The use of etad, a neuter form, instead of the masculine (etam), is poetic license. No one other than You can destroy this doubt, since You are omniscient and the Lord of all beings, while others, such as sages, are not the Supreme Lord and have little knowledge.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

And Krsna addresses Arjuna,

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

COMMON THEME: Arjuna inquires about the fate of one fallen from the path of self realization. Is he a

failure, both materially and spiritually?

One may begin the process with faith, but later desist due to worldly mindedness (6.37)
Analogy: Does such a man perish like a riven cloud with no position in any sphere? (6.38)
Arjuna expresses that only Krishna can dispel this doubt completely (6.39)

PLEASE NOTE: Purports for Texts 6.37 – 6.39 are presented in their individual ‘Focus of Learning’ boxes

below

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 6.37 & 6.38:

Arjuna clarifies his question in the next verse

Focus of Learning

(a) Basic principle of self-realisation

Knowledge that the living entity is not this material body
He is different from the body and his happiness is in eternal life, bliss and knowledge
This eternal like is transcendental, beyond both body and mind

(b) How to pursue self-realisation – 3 possible paths:

Path of knowledge (Jnana-yoga)
Practice of eight-fold yoga system (Astanga-yoga)
Devotional service (Bhakti-yoga)

(c) Similarities in these paths

In each of these processes one has to realize:
The constitutional position of the living entity
His relationship with God
And the activities whereby he can re-establish the lost link and achieve the highest perfectional stage of Krishna consciousness
All 3 processes assure success sooner or later (This reassures the point made in Bg. 2.40: “Even a little endeavor on the transcendental path offers great hope for deliverance”

(d) Bhakti-yoga is the most suitable path in this age – Because it is the most direct method of God

realisation

(e) Why does Arjuna ask this question – Although Bg. 2.40 provides full guarantee on the

transcendental path, still Arjuna wants to be reassured because one may sincerely accept the

process but still fail for many reasons

Especially the jnana-marg and the astanga-yoga are very difficult for this age
First of all one may not be sufficiently serious about following the process
Even after constant endeavor one may deviate because to pursue the transcendental path is more or less to declare war on the illusory energy

(f) Importance of “Yogac calita-manasah” – Deviation from transcendental path

A conditioned soul is always allured by the modes of material energy
And there is every chance of being allured again even while performing transcendental disciplines
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
6.39 O krsna, arhasi, You should; asesatah, totally; chettum, eradicate, remove; etat, this; samsayam, doubt; me, of mine. Hi, for; na tvad anyah, none other than You, be he a sage or a god; upapadyate, can be; chetta, the despeller, the destroyer; asya, of this; samsayasya, doubt. Therefore you Yourself should dispel (the doubt). This is the meaning.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
6.37 - 6.39 Arjuna said What way does he go, who has embarked on Yoga endowed with faith, but who by inadeacy of exertion in practice, does not gain success in Yoga and has his mind wandering from Yoga? Does he not perish like a small piece of cloud torn from a large mass of cloud - perish without reaching another large mass of cloud? Now does he not fall away from both (sides)? He has no support and is confused on the path leading to the Brahman. He is without any support in the sense that Karma or rituals which constitutes the means of heaven etc., does not give support for a person who is devoid of attachment to fruits; for Karma is the means for generating its own fruits. He is also confused in the path leading to the Brahman on which he has just begun to traverse; He has lost his way. Does he then get lost by falling down from both sides, these being attainment of heaven on the one hand and liberation on the other. Does he not thus perish? You should remove this doubt altogether from my mind; for there is no other remover of this doubt than You, who always perceive directly all matters simultaneously.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
6.37-39 Ayatah etc. upto na hyupapadyate. Even if his mind has moved away from the Yoga, he had reached, the faith in [his] mind is not lost. for, a person - even if he has achieved the Yoga - makes all [achievements] useless, if his faith is completely lost. That has been said :- 'Even after attaining the perfect knowledge, if it gets vitiated due to the caprices of mind, that very moment it perishes soon, just as a heap of cotton does due to fire'. If a complete success in the Yoga has not been achieved, then having come out of this [material] world, and having not yet got himself absorbed in the Brahman, would he get lost ? Or, because he has not yet got established in the Brahman, does he permanently get destroyed as the other world (heaven) is [also] ruined for him ? This is the estion. On this [estion], the conclusion -
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
6.39 This doubt of mine, O Krishna, do Thou dispel completely; because it is not possible for any but Thee to dispel this doubt.
Commentary

6.39 एतत् this? मे my? संशयम् doubt? कृष्ण O Krishna? छेत्तुम् to dispel? अर्हसि oughtest? अशेषतः completely? त्वत् than Thou? अन्यः another? संशयस्य of doubt? अस्य of this? छेत्ता dispeller? न not? हि verily? उपपद्यते is fit.Commentary There can be no better teacher than Thee for Thou art the omniscient Lord. Thou alone canst dispel this doubt. A Rishi (seer)? a Deva (god)? or a Muni (sage) will not be able to destroy this doubt.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
6.39 O Krsna, You should totally eradicate this doubt of mine. For, none other than Yourself can be the dispeller of this doubt!
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
6.39 My Lord! Thou art worthy to solve this doubt once and for all; save Thyself there is no one competent to do so.
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.7 BG 10.13 BG 18.73 SB 1.7.7 SB 3.25.11 SB 11.29.6 CC Madhya 20.102 CC Madhya 8.119 CC Madhya 22.31 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.13Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.18
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Only You, O Kṛṣṇa, can dispel my doubt completely — there is no one else.
Practical Applications
  • Trust that some doubts can only be dispelled by Kṛṣṇa Himself.
  • Bring such doubts directly into prayer and reading the Gītā.
  • Don't outsource the deepest doubts.
Reflection Questions
  • What doubt of mine would only Kṛṣṇa's voice resolve?
  • What is my discipline for inviting that voice?
Analogy

A man cornered by a question no one in his village can answer climbs the hill to the one teacher who knows. Arjuna's instinct here is exact: some doubts cannot be talked through with anyone less than the source. The verse models what to do with the deepest fear — bring it directly to Kṛṣṇa.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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