Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 52 (BG 2.52) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

When delusion is dispelled, Arjuna is assured here of the attainment of dispassion. The term "unheard" refers to all sense-pleasures that have not been directly experienced, while "heard" denotes all knowledge and experience that have been acquired. It is natural that when the intellect becomes pure, attachment to sense-pleasures ceases entirely. Though divine in its essential nature, the conscious self appears ensnared in the veil of delusion. The cause of this delusion is an indescribable power called maya. Like invisible electricity, maya is not directly perceptible to the senses, yet its existence is proven through its various manifestations. Through observation and study of maya's workings in the structure of all beings, the teachers of Vedanta have discovered that maya expresses itself in two ways at two levels of human personality. The veil of ignorance regarding the nature of the self that falls upon the intellect is called by Vedanta the veiling power of maya. Due to this veil of ignorance upon the intellect, the mind conceives of a non-self world and holds two firm convictions about it: (a) that it is real, and (b) that it exists in the non-self (the body and so forth). The power of maya that operates at the level of the mind is called the projecting power. This verse teaches that through performing actions with the spirit of karma yoga, the intellect becomes purified, and then it becomes possible to remove the veil and realize the true nature of the self. Thus, the result of the dispelling of delusion is dispassion toward sense-pleasures. But as long as ignorance of the self persists, a person labors day and night in the hope of finding happiness in objects alone. In winter, when clouds obscure the sun, a person lights a fire and sits near it. But gradually, as the clouds disperse and the warmth of the sun is felt, that person rises from the fire and enjoys the sunlight. Similarly, the restless pursuit of objects, born of ignorance of one's blissful nature, naturally ceases when one recognizes one's true self. Here the entire world is indicated by the two words "heard" and "unheard," which encompass all objects known through the senses. The intellect of the karma yogi neither recalls the pleasures of previously experienced objects nor hopes for experiences yet to come. The commentator, the blessed Shankara, indicates the connection with the next verse: If your question is—when will you attain the supreme yoga, the fruit of karma yoga, after piercing the veil of delusion and obtaining self-knowledge born of discrimination—then listen.