Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 40 (BG 4.40)

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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 40 — Meaning & Commentary | Live Gita

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अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति |
नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः ||४-४०||

ajñaścāśraddadhānaśca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati . nāyaṃ loko.asti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ ||4-40||

The ignorant the faithless, the doubting self goes to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting.

In simple words

Krishna warns: "But the person who lacks knowledge, lacks faith, and is always doubting — that person is destroyed. A doubter finds no peace in this world, no peace in the next world, and no happiness anywhere."

Word-by-word meanings

अज्ञःthe ignorantचandअश्रद्दधानःthe faithlessचandसंशयात्माthe doubting selfविनश्यतिgoes to destructionनnotअयम्thisलोकःworldअस्तिisनnotपरःthe nextनnotसुखम्happiness

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

Swami Sivananda

4.40 अज्ञः the ignorant? च and? अश्रद्दधानः the faithless? च and? संशयात्मा the doubting self? विनश्यति goes to destruction? न not? अयम् this? लोकः world? अस्ति is? न not? परः the next? न not? सुखम् happiness? संशयात्मनः for the doubting self.Commentary The ignorant one who has no knowledge of the Self. The man without faith one who has no faith in his own self? in the scriptures and the teachings of his Guru.A man of doubting mind is the most sinful of all. His condition is very deplorable. He is full of doubts as regards the next world. He does not rejoice in this world also? as he is very suspicious. He has no happiness.

Swami Chinmayananda

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

Swami Sivananda

Swami Chinmayananda

In the preceding verse, it has been stated that a person endowed with faith and knowledge attains supreme peace. To emphasize this very truth, the Lord speaks in negative language, saying that a person devoid of these aforementioned qualities, bringing ruin upon himself, ultimately perishes. He who is ignorant—that is, the person who lacks knowledge of the atman even at the intellectual level. Such a person of faithless and doubtful nature is inevitably destroyed. In the second line, Lord Sri Krishna, condemning the person of doubtful mind, reveals the tragedy of his existence. Such a person finds neither happiness in this world nor elsewhere. This means that ignorant and faithless persons may obtain some measure of happiness in this world, but even that is not written in the destiny of one of doubtful nature. Such persons become utterly incapable, mentally, of enjoying any circumstance, because the tendency toward doubt poisons every experience with its venom. In this line, a sharp and biting irony is directed at those so-called wise persons of faithless and doubtful disposition. Therefore, one should harbor no doubt on this matter. The Lord further says—

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 40 (BG 4.40) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

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