Chapter 3, Verse 32 (Bhagavad Gita 3.32)
Chapter 3: Karm Yog – Path of Selfless Service
Sanskrit Shloka
ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम्। सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतसः
Transliteration
ye tvetad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣhṭhanti me matam sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāns tān viddhi naṣhṭān achetasaḥ
Word Meanings
ye—those; tu—but; etat—this; abhyasūyantaḥ—cavilling; na—not; anutiṣhṭhanti—follow; me—my; matam—teachings; sarva-jñāna—in all types of knowledge; vimūḍhān—deluded; tān—they are; viddhi—know; naṣhṭān—ruined; achetasaḥ—devoid of discrimination
Translation
But those who find fault with My teaching and do not follow it, being devoid of all knowledge and lacking discernment, know them to be ruined, lost to the path of spiritual progress.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse serves as a stern warning against the arrogance of intellectual skepticism when it is divorced from practical application. It suggests that knowledge is not merely an accumulation of information, but a transformative process that must be lived to be understood. When one habitually criticizes higher wisdom, they seal their own fate by creating a barrier to internal growth, rendering their intelligence futile. Ultimately, the verse emphasizes that spiritual destruction stems from the loss of discrimination, where the ego blinds an individual to the truth that they already possess within.