Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 42 (BG 6.42) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

In this verse, the path of a desireless seeker is revealed—one who has no need for the celestial realms and heavenly worlds. Through worship performed in a spirit of non-attachment, the yogi attains a purified heart and unwavering concentration, which enables him to undertake the highest practices of meditation. Such an exalted seeker should be granted the opportunity that, after casting off the body, he may be born directly again in this world and continue his spiritual journey uninterrupted. He has no need to go to heaven, for he is established in renunciation, whereas heaven is a realm of enjoyment. The Lord declares that such a desireless seeker, after death, is born immediately into the lineage of wise and accomplished yogis, where he may complete his spiritual practice without obstruction. In these times, people are often incited to blame external circumstances and conditions for human misconduct, and are stirred to agitation against their surroundings. Yet the principle taught in the verses above refutes this prevailing belief. Undoubtedly, a person is influenced by external circumstances to a certain extent, but from the perspective of philosophy, it becomes clear that the very environment and conditions in which all people presently live are the result of their own actions performed in the past. True transformation in a person cannot come merely from changing external circumstances. If a person habituated to drinking were taken to a city where alcohol is forbidden, he would still find ways to drink in secret. The examples of Sri Shankaracharya, Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, and many other great souls affirm the principle taught in the verse under consideration. There is no doubt that such gifted individuals are rare—those in whom extraordinary wisdom and divine knowledge manifest even in childhood. The Lord Himself declares that such a birth in this world is exceedingly rare. In the previous verse, it was said that the yogi attached to desires, after attaining heaven, takes birth again; but here, regarding the fallen yogi established in renunciation, the Lord says that he is born directly into the household of a wise and accomplished yogi and advances on the path toward perfection. The Lord now speaks: What is the condition of the fallen yogi who is born in an environment conducive to the practice of yoga?