Bhagavad-gītā 4.40
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति। नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः।।4.40।।
ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh cha sanśhayātmā vinaśhyati nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ sanśhayātmanaḥ
The ignorant, the man without Shraddhâ, the doubting self, goes to destruction. The doubting self has neither this world, nor the next, nor happiness.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through ajñaḥ (the ignorant), ayam (in this), and sanśhaya-ātmanaḥ (for the skeptical soul). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge that purifies action. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 4.40.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
The ignorant, the man without Shraddhâ, the doubting self, goes to destruction
- 2
The doubting self has neither this world, nor the next, nor happiness
- 3
ajñaḥ: the ignorant
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture knowledge in action.
Link
Use the line starts: ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh / nāyaṁ loko.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.40, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 4.40 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 4.40 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 4.40 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.40, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition