Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
9.31 क्षिप्रम् soon? भवति (he) becomes? धर्मात्मा righteous? शश्वत् eternal? शान्तिम् peace? निगच्छति attains to? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti? प्रतिजानीहि proclaim for certain? न not? मे My? भक्तः Bhakta? प्रणश्यति perishes.Commentary Listen? this is the truth? O Arjuna you may proclaim that My devotee who has sincere devotion to Me? who has offered his inner soul to Me never perishes.
Swami Chinmayananda
In this verse, the validity of the firm declaration made in the previous verse is clarified. When a person of grave misconduct, impelled by steadfast resolve, takes refuge in unwavering devotion, he swiftly becomes established in dharma. The essential nature of a thing—that which constitutes its very being—is called its dharma; just as heat is the dharma of fire, without which fire cannot exist. Similarly, the dharma or true nature of a human being is the consciousness-form of the atman, without which none of his faculties can function. Therefore, the word "dharmatman" cannot be fully understood by translating it merely as "virtuous person."
Through unwavering devotion and earnest effort, one develops concentrated focus, which bears the fruit of refined perception and deepened insight. Such a perfected mind maintains its equanimity even in the highest reaches of meditation. Soon it glimpses the direct experience of the atman, and thus living an increasingly powerful spiritual life, it spreads the fragrance of its divinity through its ideals, thoughts, and actions in all directions.
Ordinarily, our mind delights only in the desires of the senses and the excitements of pleasure. When this restlessness subsides, we experience directly that supreme power which makes our life secure and strong. This eternal peace is our original nature. No religion in the world fails to teach this goal. A steady and peaceful mind is an open window through which one sees oneself reflected in the mirror of truth. Here the assurance is given that one attains eternal peace—but this should not be understood to mean that this peace lies somewhere distant from us. It is merely the recognition of our ever-established true nature.
The perfection described in Vedanta is no farther from us than our waking state is from our dream. Here, the mind need only be brought into focus. If a camera is not properly focused, the beautiful scene before it appears only as a blurred image; but when the camera is correctly focused, we obtain a complete picture of the entire scene in all its vastness and splendor. A disordered mind and intellect, constantly buffeted by the rising waves of desire and craving, is not a fit instrument for the vision of the atman.
The second line of this verse illuminates the incomparable dharma-proclaiming personality of Lord Sri Krishna. After declaring that even the most grievously misconduct person attains eternal peace through devotion and right resolve, Sri Krishna, as it were, pats Arjuna on the back and proclaims: My devotee is never destroyed.
Following the rishis, Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that he should proclaim this unobstructed truth everywhere—that the seeker who lives by ideal values is never destroyed, and if his resolve is firm and his effort sincere, he shall not fail. The particular word "pratijanīhi" (declare) that Lord Sri Krishna uses here carries its own power of expression and conveys imperative necessity and urgency. Students of Sanskrit will readily perceive this nuance; those unfamiliar with the language should pay special attention to this word.
In brief, the essence of these two verses is this: if a person maintains even a single corner of awareness of the Divine in his mind, then by the very influence of that awareness, his entire life is transformed, and he becomes worthy of progress and development in both his inner and outer existence. Just as a person wearing clothes of any color, when passing beneath a blue street light, acquires a blue tint, so too, when the awareness of atman-consciousness dwells in the heart, the criminal and sinful tendencies that arise in the mind cannot help but be influenced by the golden radiance of divine perfection. Just as naphthalene balls placed in a wardrobe protect all the clothes stored there and keep moths away, so too does the unbroken remembrance of the atman protect the human personality from the worms of destructive inner tendencies.
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.