Bhagavad Gita 6.42
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 42 of 47
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् | एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ||४२||
athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām | etad dhi durlabhataraṃ loke janma yad īdṛśam || 42 ||
Or: born into a family of wise yogis — rarer still, the most auspicious birth this world can offer.
Word by word (3)
- athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
- — or else, in the very family of wise yogis is born · athavā = or else, alternatively. yoginām = of yogis (genitive plural). eva = indeed, very. kule = in the family/lineage. bhavati = is born, comes into being. dhīmatām = of the wise (dhīmat = having intelligence/wisdom). This is the higher alternative to V41's 'pure and prosperous' family: a birth directly into a lineage of practising yogis — wise yogis (dhīmatāṃ yoginām). V42 represents the more advanced rebirth for the more advanced fallen yogi — one whose practice went deeper and whose saṃskāras are stronger. The hierarchy: V41 (pure and prosperous) < V42 (family of wise yogis).
- etad hi durlabhataraṃ loke janma yad īdṛśam
- — verily, such a birth as this is very rare to obtain in this world · etad = this. hi = indeed (emphatic). durlabhataram = rarer/more difficult to attain (durlabha = hard to obtain; comparative suffix -tara = more so). loke = in the world. janma = birth. yad īdṛśam = such as this. The birth into a family of practising wise yogis is durlabhatara — rarer even than the V41 noble birth. It is among the most auspicious births possible. The rarity increases its value: to be born in a lineage where yoga is practiced as the family culture, where the child is surrounded by yogic saṃskāras from birth, is the most favourable condition for the fastest completion of the path.
- durlabhataram (comparative) — rarity as value indicator
- — rarer even than the V41 noble birth — the more advanced yogi receives the rarer opportunity · The comparative 'durlabhataram' (rarer than) implicitly compares V42 to V41: the V41 birth was itself rare; V42 is rarer. The Gita's rebirth teaching calibrates the quality of the next birth to the depth of the saṃskāras accumulated in the previous practice. More advanced practice → rarer, more auspicious opportunity. This calibration principle is the karmic logic underlying V40-44's teaching on the fallen yogi's fate.
Or he may be born into the family of wise yogis; but such a birth as this is harder by far to win in this world.
A modern analogy
A student who spent one year studying music is reborn (metaphorically speaking) in a home with background music and occasional lessons. A student who spent a decade immersed in music is reborn in a family of professional musicians. This verse's yoga-lineage birth is the music-family equivalent for the more advanced practitioner.
What it does NOT mean
This verse does NOT contradict the previous one. The earlier verse described rebirth into a pure and prosperous family that gives conditions for resuming practice; this verse describes the rarer birth into a family of wise yogis. They describe two different levels of rebirth for two different levels of practice-depth. The earlier teaching is for those who began the path; this one is for those who went further.
Take with you
- This verse teaches that the depth of current practice determines the quality of future conditions. This is motivation for deepening: the deeper the practice now, the more auspicious the next conditions.
- The yoga-lineage birth is rare (durlabhatara, 'harder still to attain') — which means if you were born in a spiritually inclined family, you may well be experiencing this very rebirth into a yogic lineage, carried forward from previous practice.
- Taken together, the rebirth into a pure family and the rebirth into a yogic lineage teach that no degree of genuine practice is lost: it always calibrates the next birth to support continuation, either in a supportive material environment or in an active yogic lineage.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Or else he is born in the very family of wise yogis — verily, such a birth is rarer to obtain in this world. [1]
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. [4]
Or he may be born in a family of wise Yogis; such a birth is very rare in this world. [5]
Or he may be born in the family of wise Yogis; but such a birth as this is most difficult to obtain in this world. [6]
Or else he is born in some family of holy Yogis; verily, such a birth is more rare in this world. [7]
Or he may take birth in the family of wise Yogis only; such a birth is very difficult to obtain in this world. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
After worlds of merit, the fallen yogi is reborn in a pure and prosperous family — conditions for resuming practice.
In the new birth, one recovers the former body's intelligence — and strives even more than before toward perfection.
Striving through many births, fully purified, the yogi — perfected across lifetimes — reaches the highest goal.
Your own mind is your best friend when mastered; your worst enemy when not.
O Krishna — the faithful yogi who fell short of yoga's perfection through wandering mind: what is their destination?
Who sees friend, foe, stranger, kin, the righteous and the sinner with truly equal eyes — that one excels.
Verse 42 of 47 · back to Chapter 6