Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 40 (BG 6.40) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

At the very beginning of His response, the Lord offers a clear assurance that no one who performs righteous action meets with misfortune either in this world or the next. This declaration of the Lord is not merely an emotional reassurance based on blind belief, nor is it a divine command conveyed through a messenger that the righteous must simply accept. The Hindu tradition does not accept any doctrine that contradicts human reason and intellect, regardless of whether it comes from a deity itself. Dharma is the science of life, and therefore the principles and practices it expounds must be subjected to rational and logical examination. In keeping with this distinctive characteristic of our culture, the Lord clarifies His statement, saying: O beloved child, no one who performs righteous action meets with misfortune. One who performs meritorious deeds in the present shall never experience suffering in the future, for the future is but the transformed result of the past and present. Arjuna's fear concerning the destruction of one who has fallen from yoga arose because he did not fully understand the continuity and orderliness of life. To believe that the existence of the soul begins and ends with birth and death is possible only at the initial stage of philosophical inquiry. In truth, such a principle cannot even be called philosophy. For those seekers of bold intellect who wish to understand the laws and meaning of life and the purpose of the universe, it must be accepted that the present human life is a pearl in the necklace adorning the breast of infinite beauty that graces the bosom of truth. The present is the result of the past, and through every thought, knowledge, and action, we are drawing the outline of the future. Among Hindus, there is belief in the previous birth and rebirth of the embodied soul. This is called the principle of rebirth. On the basis of this very principle, Sri Krishna here negates the possibility of the yogi's destruction or misfortune. It may appear at times that a practitioner falls or faces death, but there is no actual destruction. Today's transformed state becomes tomorrow's future. In Sanskrit, a son is called tata. In the Upanishads too, the disciple is addressed as a son. Following that same tradition, by addressing Arjuna as tata, the Lord's paternal affection toward him becomes evident. No matter how much malice and deception a person may harbor toward others, the thought of causing harm to his own son never enters his mind. With this very paternal love, Sri Krishna assures Arjuna that the practitioner never experiences true downfall. To ascend even one step on the ladder of spiritual development means to move toward perfection. The Lord now speaks of what becomes the certain fate of one who has not attained yoga-siddhi.