Bhagavad Gita 4.40अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति।नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः ॥
ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh cha sanśhayātmā
vinaśhyati nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ sanśhayātmanaḥ
Sanskrit recitation
Knowledge that cuts doubt · 4.34–4.42 · Teaching
Translation
The ignorant, the faithless, and the doubting self go to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting one.
Hindi translation
विवेकहीन और श्रद्धारहित संशयात्मा मनुष्यका पतन हो जाता है। ऐसे संशयात्मा मनुष्यके लिये न यह लोक है न परलोक है और न सुख ही है।
Meaning
The ignorant one who has no knowledge of the Self. The man without faith one who has no faith in his own self, in the scriptures and the teachings of his Guru.A man of doubting mind is the most sinful of all. His condition is very deplorable. He is full of doubts as regards the next world. He does not rejoice in this world also, as he is very suspicious. He has no happiness.
After Swami Sivananda
Knowledge that cuts doubt· 4.34–4.42→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 4.34Know that the wise who have realized the truth will instruct thee in that knowledge…
- 4.35Knowing that thou shalt not, O Arjuna, again be deluded like this; and by that thou shalt…
- 4.36Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt surely cross over all sins…
- 4.37As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce…
- 4.38Verily, there is no purifier in this world like knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga…
- 4.39The one who is full of faith, devoted to it, and has subdued their senses obtains this…
4.40The ignorant, the faithless, and the doubting self go to destruction; there is neither…
- 4.41He who has renounced actions through Yoga, whose doubts have been dispelled by knowledge,…
- 4.42Therefore, with the sword of knowledge (of the Self), cut asunder the doubt of the self,…
Word-by-word→
- na
- not
- cha
- and
- asti
- is
- ayam
- in this
- sukham
- happiness
- ātmā
- a person
- lokaḥ
- world
- paraḥ
- in the next
- ajñaḥ
- the ignorant
- sanśhaya
- skeptical
- vinaśhyati
- falls down
- aśhraddadhānaḥ
- without faith
- sanśhaya-ātmanaḥ
- for the skeptical soul
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