ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् । सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतसः ॥
ye tv etad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam | sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāṃs tān viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ ||
Those who carp and refuse to practice: deluded across all knowledge, ruined, without real consciousness.
Word by word (3)
- abhyasūyantaḥ nānutiṣṭhanti
- — carping/grudging, do not practice · Abhyasūyanta = those who carp, who find fault, who are envious (abhi+asūya, intensified fault-finding). The mirror of V31's anasūyantaḥ — this is the opposite disposition. They don't just fail to understand; they actively resist with a critical, fault-finding attitude.
- sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhān naṣṭān acetasaḥ
- — deluded in all knowledge, ruined, without real consciousness · Sarva-jñāna = all knowledge. Vimūḍha = thoroughly deluded. Naṣṭa = ruined, lost (from naś, to be lost/destroyed). Acetasaḥ = without real mind/consciousness (a-cetas). The triple condemnation: deluded across all knowledge, ruined, and operating without genuine consciousness — the opposite of the sthitaprajña.
- me matam / na anutriṣṭhanti
- — me matam = My view/teaching (matam = opinion/doctrine, from man = to think; Krishna's matam = the teaching of this Gita itself); na anutiṣṭhanti = do not follow/practice (anu + sthā = to stand in accordance with; the gap between hearing and practising); the contrast: knowing the teaching (śravaṇa) but refusing to live it (anutiṣṭhati) — this gap is what makes the sarva-jñāna-vimūḍha (deluded across all knowledge)
But those who, out of fault-finding, do not practice My teaching — know them to be deluded in all knowledge, senseless, and ruined.
A modern analogy
A student who refuses to practice a skill while constantly criticizing the teacher ends up neither skilled nor wise — trapped in the defensive position of critique without the fruit of practice. V32's naṣṭa (ruined) describes this intellectual and practical dead-end.
Take with you
- Abhyasūyā (carping criticism) of spiritual teaching is self-destructive — it blocks the teaching's benefit.
- The distinction from healthy intellectual inquiry: inquiry aims to understand, abhyasūyā aims to reject.
- Sarva-jñāna-vimūḍha: persistent refusal to engage with transformative teaching blocks all knowledge, not just this teaching.
- The antidote to abhyasūyā is what V31 prescribed: śraddhā and anasūyā — open, faithful engagement.
V32 is the cautionary counterpart to V31. It describes the abhyasūyā (envious fault-finding) disposition that prevents both practice and understanding. Shankaracharya notes that the Gita uses the strong word naṣṭa (ruined/lost) — not 'mistaken' or 'less advanced' but 'ruined.' The reason is that fault-finding closes the one doorway through which these teachings can be received: honest, open inquiry with genuine willingness to be transformed. One who consistently rejects without practicing has no path left; their sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhatā (delusion across all knowledge) deepens with each rejection.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
But those who, out of envy, do not practice My teaching, know them to be deluded in all knowledge, mindless, and utterly lost. [1]
But those who, out of envy, do not follow My teaching, know them to be deluded in all knowledge, senseless, and ruined. [4]
But those who, out of envy, do not practice my teaching, know them to be senseless, deluded in all wisdom, and lost. [6]
But mark! those men who scoff at what I teach, Who follow it not — they are all confounded, They are all ruined, all unwise. [7]
But know those who, out of envy, do not follow My teaching, to be utterly devoid of wisdom, deluded about all knowledge, and ruined. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Practice this teaching with faith and without fault-finding — you are freed from karma. No full understanding required.
One who abandons śāstra-vidhi to act from desire's impulse attains neither siddhi, nor sukha, nor the Supreme Goal.
You grieve for those who should not be grieved for — and call it wisdom.
Your body changed from childhood to age without 'you' dying — changing bodies is no different.
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?