Bhagavad-gītā 6.42
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम्। एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम्।।6.42।।
atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham
Or else he is born into a family of wise Yogis only; verily, a birth such as that is very rare to obtain in this world.
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 |
|---|---|
| atha vā | else |
| yoginām | of those endowed with divine wisdom |
| eva | certainly |
| kule | in the family |
| bhavati | take birth |
| dhī-matām | of the wise |
| etat | this |
| hi | certainly |
| durlabha-taram | very rare |
| loke | in this world |
| janma | birth |
| yat | which |
| īdṛiśham | like this |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through atha vā (else), etat (this), and īdṛiśham (like this). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the disciplined and recollected mind. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 6.42.
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: Sequence preparation, discipline, mind, meditation, difficulty, failure and the chapter’s final comparison of yogīs.
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
Or else he is born into a family of wise Yogis only
- 2
verily, a birth such as that is very rare to obtain in this world
- 3
atha vā: else
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Cover
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.42, 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 6.42 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 6.42 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 6.42 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.42, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition