Bhagavad Gita 13.26
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 26 of 34
अन्ये त्व् एवम् अजानन्तः श्रुत्वान्येभ्य उपासते / तेऽपि चातितरन्त्य् एव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः
anye tv evam ajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate / te'pi cātitaranty eva mṛtyuṃ śruti-parāyaṇāḥ
Others who simply worship as heard from others — they too cross beyond death, devoted to what they heard.
Word by word (3)
- anye tu evam ajānantaḥ śrutvā anyebhyaḥ upāsate
- — But others (anye), not knowing (ajānantaḥ) in this way (evam), having heard (śrutvā) from others (anyebhyaḥ), worship/practise devotion (upāsate) · Ajānantaḥ = not knowing through the three paths of V25 (dhyāna/Sāṃkhya/karma). Anyebhyaḥ = from others (teachers, tradition, family elders). Upāsate = they practise devotion, they worship, they follow the received teaching. This is the path of śraddhā (faith in what one has heard) rather than the path of direct jñāna or direct practice. This is the most accessible path — available to anyone who simply trusts.
- te api ca atitaranti eva mṛtyum śruti-parāyaṇāḥ
- — they also (te api) indeed (eva) cross beyond (atitaranti) death (mṛtyum), being devoted (parāyaṇāḥ) to what they have heard (śruti = hearing) · Atitaranti = cross over, transcend (ati + tṛ = to cross beyond). Mṛtyum = death, the cycle of birth-death-rebirth. Śruti-parāyaṇāḥ = those whose refuge (parāyaṇa = supreme resort) is what they have heard (śruti = hearing). The 'eva' (indeed, certainly) is the Gita's emphasis: even THIS simplest path works. Trust and faithful practice of received teaching is sufficient. Krishna does not rank this below the other three — 'te'pi' (they also) places them on equal footing.
- śruti-parāyaṇāḥ
- — devoted to/taking refuge in what they have heard — śruti (hearing) + parāyaṇa (supreme resort/devotion) · Parāyaṇa = the highest resort, supreme dedication (para = highest + ayana = way/resort). Those who make 'what I have heard from the teacher/tradition' their supreme guide — these are śruti-parāyaṇāḥ. This corresponds to the Vedic tradition of śravaṇa (hearing) as the first and most foundational means of knowledge (Ch.4 V34: 'tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā'). Hearing from an authentic source + devotion to that hearing = liberation.
And others, not knowing this, worship as they have heard from others; they too cross beyond death, devoted to what they have heard.
A modern analogy
Three people are learning to swim. One has Olympic training (dhyāna). One has read every book on fluid dynamics and biomechanics (Sāṃkhya). One has practiced every morning for years (karma yoga). The fourth person never learned to swim but followed a trusted guide's hand — and they all reached the other shore. The guide's hand = śruti-parāyaṇā.
What it does NOT mean
Some interpret śravaṇa-path as inferior — 'those who can't do anything else just listen.' But śruti (hearing from an authentic source) is PRIMARY in the Vedic epistemology: the entire Upaniṣadic tradition begins with śravaṇa. The Gita's śruti-parāyaṇāḥ are not spiritual failures — they are those who have the gift of śraddhā (faith). That gift, when pure, is as liberating as direct jñāna.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Others again not knowing thus, worship as they have heard from others. [4]
[Arnold full chapter text; verse describes those who worship by hearing from others and also cross beyond death] [7]
But others, not knowing this, worship from having heard from others; and even they cross beyond death, devoted to what they hear. [9]
Others again, not knowing this, worship having heard from others; these, too, devoted to what they hear, cross beyond death. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Taking refuge in Me for liberation from old age and death — they know Brahman, Adhyātma, and all of Karma.
Krishna declares: 'I am the ground of Brahman — the Immortal, the Immutable, eternal Dharma, and perfect Bliss.'
Dishonor lasts longer than death — and for the one who has been honored, disgrace is worse than dying.
At the hour of death — mind fixed in yoga, devotion, prāṇa between the eyebrows — one attains the supreme divine Puruṣa.
I am the Goal, Lord, Witness, Abode, Refuge, Friend — and the Origin, Dissolution, Seed imperishable.
Quickly he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace — declare it, O Kuntī's son: My devotee is never destroyed.
Verse 26 of 34 · back to Chapter 13