Dhyana Yoga · Verse 38

Bhagavad Gita 6.38

Half-finished striving can feel like total ruin.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे महाबाहो संसारके आश्रयसे रहित और परमात्मप्राप्तिके मार्गमें मोहित अर्थात् विचलित इस तरह दोनों ओरसे भ्रष्ट हुआ साधक क्या छिन्नभिन्न बादलकी तरह नष्ट तो नहीं हो जाता ॥
English
O mighty-armed one, does a person who has fallen from both sides, like a torn cloud, perish without support, deluded on the path of the supreme reality?

What this verse means

Arjuna asks whether a person who fails in both worldly life and spiritual practice is lost completely, like a torn cloud blown apart.

Context & commentary

On the battlefield, Arjuna is already shaken by the thought of meditation and duty pulling in opposite directions. He asks Krishna whether someone who slips from both worldly support and the path to liberation simply disappears like a broken cloud. This keeps the question open for Krishna's answer.

Why this verse still matters

You quit the job, leave the relationship, or walk away from the old identity — and then fear hits: what if the new path fails and the old one is already gone?

The takeaway

It is the fear of trying and still losing everything that makes the mind tremble.

Word-by-word translation

कच्चित् (whether?) / नोभयविभ्रष्टः (fallen from both sides) / छिन्नाभ्रम् (torn cloud) / इव (like) / नश्यति (perishes) / अप्रतिष्ठः (without support) / महाबाहो (O mighty-armed one) / विमूढः (deluded) / ब्रह्मणः (of the supreme reality) / पथि (on the path)

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