May 22 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 6; Verses 6.40 (Day 143) Adhyatma Yoga, Yoga of Meditation

 May 22– Day 143

Verse 6.40

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते ।

न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ॥ ६-४०॥ 

Śhrī Bhagavān uvācha
pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśhas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛit kaśhchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati (40) 

ஶ்ரீப⁴க³வானுவாச¹ |
பா¹ர்த² நைவேஹ நாமுத்¹ர வினாஶஸ்த¹ஸ்ய வித்³யதே¹ |
ந ஹி கல்¹யாணக்¹ருத்¹க¹ஶ்சி¹த்³து³ர்க³தி¹ம் தா¹த¹ க³ச்¹ச²தி¹ ||40|| 

The Blessed Lord said:

40. O Arjuna, neither in this world, nor in the next world is there destruction for him; none, verily, who does good, O My son, ever comes to grief! 

Commentary: He who has not succeeded in attaining to perfection in Yoga in this birth will not be destroyed in the world or in the next world.  Surely he will not take a birth lower than the present one.  What will he attain, then? This is described by the Lord in verses 41, 42, 43, 44.

Tata: son.  A disciple is regarded as a son. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: 

Once again we have a great verse in the Bhagavad Gītā, every verse of which is indeed memorable and inspiring. Lord Kṛṣṇa goes one step beyond the answer to the immediate question and makes a sweeping, most reassuring generalisation. Every verse in the Gītā should be in gold lettering, but this one should be studded in diamonds.

With what loving solicitude the Lord addresses Arjuna (and so you and me) – “O my son” – everyone and every devotee especially, is the son of God. How lovingly does he assure us that we are forever safe, if we do good always!

At some time or other in life everyone is overwhelmed by the doubt: “What is the use of doing good in this world of injustice with its perverted scale of values?” We often find rogues prospering, cruel oppressors and heartless exploiters rolling in wealth and power, while the voiceless, god-fearing man of righteousness and the humble servant of God are trampled upon. Yet Kṛṣṇa assures us that no evil ever befalls the good man! Our welfare is already guaranteed by the omnipresent divinity, God.

We should revise our empirical logic. The wicked man’s road to hell lies through an increase of worldly wealth and power, the good man’s path to God-realisation lies through apparent (he does not feel it, since his mind is devoted to God) suffering in which he sheds all his worldliness, lurking evil tendencies and the effects of his own past karma. Let us rejoice! Never shall we suffer in the least if we do good, and even if in the eyes of the world we pass through suffering, inwardly we shall rejoice that we are drawing closer to God. These experiences (wrongly called suffering) are birth-pangs after which we shall be reborn in God, to enjoy perennial bliss and immortality. He who has rightly understood that pleasure is a creature of thought and is thus free of it, is also free of pain. 

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