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Chapter 2 · Verse 42 · Sankhya Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 2.42

contemplative Jnana & Wisdom Attachment & Letting Go Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः। वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः।।2.42।।

Transliteration

yāmimāṁ puṣhpitāṁ vāchaṁ pravadanty-avipaśhchitaḥ veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ kāmātmānaḥ swarga-parā janma-karma-phala-pradām kriyā-viśheṣha-bahulāṁ bhogaiśhwarya-gatiṁ prati

हिंदी अर्थ

जो अज्ञानी लोग केवल वेदों के कर्मकांड में फंसे हैं, वे सुंदर बातें करते हैं और कहते हैं कि इसके अलावा कुछ और नहीं है। परंतु ये लोग जन्म और मृत्यु के चक्र से मुक्ति नहीं पा सकते, क्योंकि वे केवल फल की इच्छा करते हैं।

Word by Word

yām imām all these
puṣhpitām flowery
vācham words
pravadanti speak
avipaśhchitaḥ those with limited understanding
veda-vāda-ratāḥ attached to the flowery words of the Vedas
pārtha Arjun, the son of Pritha
na anyat no other
asti is
iti thus
vādinaḥ advocate
kāma-ātmānaḥ desirous of sensual pleasure
swarga-parāḥ aiming to achieve the heavenly planets
janma-karma-phala high birth and fruitive results
pradāṁ awarding
kriyā-viśheṣha pompous ritualistic ceremonies
bahulām various
bhoga gratification
aiśhwarya luxury
gatim progress
prati toward
Simplified Perspective

Krishna unveils a hidden trap that ensnares even sincere seekers: the intoxication of beautiful words divorced from direct realization. The Vedas overflow with rituals promising heavenly rewards, yet these flowery verses can become a golden cage if we mistake the map for the territory, confusing religious performance with spiritual awakening.

When we chase status, comfort, and celestial pleasures through elaborate ceremonies, we remain trapped in the wheel of becoming — never arriving at what we already are. In our modern hunger for spiritual credentials and Instagram-worthy practices, we too can get seduced by the poetry of enlightenment while starving our actual transformation.

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Bhagavad Gita 2.42 — BG 2.42

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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