11.53 Not by the Vedas Krishna speaks
नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा
nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā na dānena na chejyayā
śhakya evaṁ-vidho draṣhṭuṁ dṛiṣhṭavān asi māṁ yathā
Not by the Vedas, not by austerity, not by giving, not by worship can I be seen as you have seen me.
Explanation
Not by the Vedas, not by austerity, not by giving.
The list of 11.48 again, with worship added — none of it produces this seeing.
Which leaves the question of what does, and the chapter has exactly one verse left for it. Everything the tradition offers has just been ruled out.
Word by word
- na
- never
- aham
- I
- vedaiḥ
- by study of the Vedas
- na
- never
- tapasā
- by serious penances
- na
- never
- dānena
- by charity
- na
- never
- cha
- also
- ijyayā
- by worship
- śhakyaḥ
- it is possible
- evam-vidhaḥ
- like this
- draṣhṭum
- to see
- dṛiṣhṭavān
- seeing
- asi
- you are
- mām
- me
- yathā
- as
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