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.
Krishna answers directly: O Pārtha (Arjuna), for the sincere practitioner who tried genuinely (the faith-endowed yogi of V37) — there is absolutely no destruction. Not in this life, not in the next. For the doer of good — anyone, anywhere — never comes to an evil end. The torn-cloud fear is baseless. Genuine good effort is always protected.
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. V40 says: the incomplete yogi is in this position — not victorious yet, but not destroyed.
What it does NOT mean
V40 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 in V41-44 — a staged progression through noble births that continue the practice. V40 eliminates the worst-case fear; V41 describes the actual path.
Take with you
- V40 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 V40's criterion: if you are genuinely trying to practise (faith-endowed, as V37 specified), you are a kalyāṇakṛt. The 'never' (na hi) is absolute — no exceptions.
- V40 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.
V40 is one of the Gita's most compassionate and important verses — the direct answer to V37-39's most anxious question. The verse works on two levels: (1) specific answer to the yogin's question (no destruction for the faith-endowed practitioner who failed to complete the path), and (2) universal principle (no doer of good ever comes to an evil end). The word 'tāta' (my dear) is among the Gita's most tender moments — Krishna, who has delivered profound metaphysical teaching throughout, here speaks with parental warmth. The love behind the assurance is as important as its content. V40's two statements are structurally distinct: the first ('no destruction for that one, here or hereafter') is specific to the V37 yogi; the second ('never does a doer of good come to evil end') is the universal principle that grounds the specific assurance. The specific is true because the universal is true.
Advaita lens
Shankaracharya: the 'no destruction' is guaranteed by the indestructibility of the ātman (which cannot be destroyed) and the indestructibility of the saṃskāras of practice (which carry forward in the subtle body). The 'evil end' (durgati) that is negated refers to the lower births that negative karma would produce — the good-karma of genuine practice prevents these. The kalyāṇakṛt is protected by their own good action, which is part of the cosmic order (dharma) that Krishna embodies.
Bhakti lens
The bhakta hears V40 as the beloved's unconditional promise: 'I will not let you be destroyed. Your love for me protects you.' The warmth of 'tāta' (my dear) is the Beloved's voice. V40 is the Gita's closest approach to the bhakta's deepest longing: to be personally assured by the Divine that love is enough, even incomplete love.
Karma-Yoga lens
V40 is the karma yoga assurance applied to incomplete practitioners: the puṇya (good karma) of genuine, faith-endowed practice is real and indestructible. It produces the V41 noble rebirth and prevents durgati (evil destination). This is the positive-karma guarantor that makes karma yoga's non-attachment to results supportable: even if the result (liberation) is not achieved in this life, the effort's karmic fruit ensures no destruction.
Modern parallels
V40's principle ('the doer of good never comes to evil end') has resonance with several modern psychological findings: moral character research shows that the habit of moral action has positive feedback effects — it builds psychological resilience, social connection, and subjective wellbeing in ways that compound over time. The 'doer of good' is not merely protected karmically (in the Gita's terms) but demonstrably better off psychologically. V40's cosmic principle has empirical correlates.
Practice
Receive V40 as a direct personal address: read it slowly, substituting your own name for 'Pārtha': 'O [your name] — no destruction for you, neither here nor hereafter. For never does a doer of good come to an evil end.' Let this be the closing affirmation of each practice session for one week. Notice what shifts in the quality of your practice when the fear of futility is removed.
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.
Who sees friend, foe, stranger, kin, the righteous and the sinner with truly equal eyes — that one excels.