Bhagavad Gita 6.40
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 40 of 47
श्रीभगवानुवाच | पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते | न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद्दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ||४०||
śrī bhagavān uvāca | pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate | na hi kalyāṇakṛt kaścid durgatiṃ tāta gacchati || 40 ||
O Pārtha — no destruction for that one, neither here nor hereafter. For never does any doer of good come to an evil end.
Word by word (3)
- pārtha na eva iha na amutra vināśaḥ tasya vidyate
- — O Pārtha, there is no destruction for that one — neither here nor hereafter · pārtha = O son of Pṛthā (Arjuna's matronymic — intimate, warm). na eva iha = not here (in this life). na amutra = not hereafter (in the next life). vināśa = destruction, annihilation. tasya = of that one (the yogi of V37 — the faith-endowed, self-control-lacking, wandering-minded practitioner). vidyate = is found, exists. The three-pronged negation: no destruction (vināśa) + not here (iha) + not hereafter (amutra). The answer to V38's torn-cloud fear is as complete and unequivocal as the fear was anxious: NO destruction, nowhere, at no time. The word 'eva' (indeed/certainly) intensifies the negation.
- na hi kalyāṇakṛt kaścit durgatiṃ tāta gacchati
- — for never does the doer of good, anyone at all, come to an evil end, my dear · na hi = for never (emphatic). kalyāṇakṛt = doer of good, performer of auspicious actions (kalyāṇa = good, auspicious, welfare; kṛt = doer). kaścit = anyone (indefinite pronoun). durgatiṃ = evil end, bad destination (dur = bad, difficult; gati = going, destination). tāta = my dear, my child (an affectionate vocative — literally 'my son,' but used between equals or from teacher to student). gacchati = goes, reaches. The principle is universal ('anyone at all') and absolute ('never'). Kalyāṇakṛt includes not only those who practice yoga but any doer of genuine good. The yogi of V37, who had faith and genuinely tried, is certainly a kalyāṇakṛt.
- tāta (vocative) — the affection behind the assurance
- — 'my dear' — Krishna's most intimate address, signaling that what follows is personal truth, not just teaching · Tāta is one of Sanskrit's warmest affectionate vocatives — used by parents to children, by teachers who love their students, by friends in tender moments. Its appearance here signals that V40 is not merely a philosophical position (there is no destruction for good-doers) but a personal assurance given with love: 'my dear, I am telling you this because I want you to hear it completely and be freed of fear.' The warmth of the address is part of the teaching — not just information, but love informing information.
O Pārtha, neither here nor hereafter is there destruction for him; for no one who does good, My dear, ever comes to an evil end.
A modern analogy
A student who begins a degree but has to leave early due to illness — they lose the degree, but they don't lose the learning they completed. That partial education is real, it is credit toward the eventual completion, and it does not put them in a worse position than if they'd never started. Krishna says: the incomplete yogi is in this position — not victorious yet, but not destroyed.
What it does NOT mean
This does NOT say that the incomplete yogi immediately attains liberation. It says they do NOT come to destruction. The positive description of what does happen comes next — a staged progression through noble births that continue the practice, beginning with rebirth in a pure and prosperous family. This verse eliminates the worst-case fear; the following verses describe the actual path.
Take with you
- This is the Gita's most direct answer to the practitioner's fear of futility: genuine good effort is never destroyed. This is not optimistic speculation — it is Krishna's direct declaration with the authority of one who knows the cosmic order.
- Kalyāṇakṛt (doer of good) is the criterion: if you are genuinely trying to practise — faith-endowed, as Arjuna's question specified — you are a kalyāṇakṛt. The 'never' (na hi) is absolute — no exceptions.
- This verse should be memorised and returned to whenever the fear 'what if I fail?' arises. It is the Gita's direct answer to that specific fear. 'Na hi kalyāṇakṛt kaścid durgatiṃ gacchati' — never does a doer of good come to evil end.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
The Blessed Lord said: O Pārtha, there is no destruction for that one — neither here nor hereafter. For never does the doer of good, anyone at all, come to an evil end, my dear. [1]
Verily, O son of Pritha, there is destruction for him, neither here nor hereafter for, the doer of good, O my son, never comes to grief. [4]
The Blessed Lord said: O Pritha, neither in this world nor the life to come is there destruction for him; never doth one who doeth good, my friend, tread the path of woe. [5]
The Blessed Lord said: O Arjuna! neither in this world nor in the next is there destruction for him. For never does any one who does good deeds, my friend, tread the path of woe. [6]
Krishna: O Pritha! neither in this world nor in the next is there destruction for him; never doth one who doeth good, friend! go to evil. [7]
The Blessed Lord said: O son of Pritha! there is no destruction for him here or hereafter. For no one who does good, my dear, goes to misery. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
O Krishna — cut this doubt of mine completely, without remainder. No one other than You can resolve what I am asking.
After worlds of merit, the fallen yogi is reborn in a pure and prosperous family — conditions for resuming practice.
Quickly he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace — declare it, O Kuntī's son: My devotee is never destroyed.
Seeing inaction in action, action in inaction — that one is wise, a yogi, a complete doer of all actions.
Your own mind is your best friend when mastered; your worst enemy when not.
The final daivī qualities: tejas, kṣamā, dhṛti, śauca, adroha, nātimānitā — belonging to one born to divine nature.
Verse 40 of 47 · back to Chapter 6