4.40 No happiness for the doubting Krishna speaks
अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति
नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः
ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh cha sanśhayātmā vinaśhyati
nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ sanśhayātmanaḥ
The ignorant, the faithless and the doubting are lost. For one who doubts there is no happiness here or anywhere.
Explanation
And no happiness for the doubting.
The ignorant, the faithless and the doubting are lost. For one who doubts there is no happiness here or anywhere.
The harshest line in the chapter, and it is aimed at a condition rather than a conclusion. What is being described is not disagreement but the state of being unable to settle — which is where Arjuna has been since 1.28.
Word by word
- ajñaḥ
- the ignorant
- cha
- and
- aśhraddadhānaḥ
- without faith
- cha
- and
- sanśhaya
- skeptical
- ātmā
- a person
- vinaśhyati
- falls down
- na
- never
- ayam
- in this
- lokaḥ
- world
- asti
- is
- na
- not
- paraḥ
- in the next
- na
- not
- sukham
- happiness
- sanśhaya-ātmanaḥ
- for the skeptical soul
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