BHAGAVAD-GITA 4:40

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 4:40

 

ajnas casraddadhanas ca

samsayatma vinasyati

nayam loko sti na paro

na sukham samsayatmanah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

ajnah--a fool who has no knowledge in standard scriptures; ca--and;

asraddadhanah--without faith in revealed scriptures; ca--also;

samsaya--of doubts; atma--a person; vinasyati--falls back; na--never;

ayam--in this; lokah--world; asti--there is; na--nor; parah--in the

next life; na--not; sukham--happiness; samsaya--doubtful; atmanah--of

the person.

 

TRANSLATION

 

But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures

do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul

there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.

 

PURPORT

 

Out of many standard and authoritative revealed scriptures, the

Bhagavad-gita is the best. Persons who are almost like animals have no

faith in, or knowledge of, the standard revealed scriptures; and some,

even though they have knowledge of, or can cite passages from, the

revealed scriptures, have actually no faith in these words. And even

though others may have faith in scriptures like Bhagavad-gita, they do

not believe in or worship the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Such

persons cannot have any standing in Krsna consciousness. They fall

down. Out of all the above-mentioned persons, those who have no faith

and are always doubtful make no progress at all. Men without faith in

God and His revealed word find no good in this world, nor in the next.

For them there is no happiness whatsoever. One should therefore follow

the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and thereby be raised

to the platform of knowledge. Only this knowledge will help one become

promoted to the transcendental platform of spiritual understanding. In

other words, doubtful persons have no status whatsoever in spiritual

emancipation. One should therefore follow in the footsteps of great

acaryas who are in the disciplic succession and thereby attain

success.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.