Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 6, Verse 42
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम्।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम्।।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम्।।
atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛśam
also searched as "atha va yoginam eva kule bhavati dhimatam"
Translation
Or he is born into a family of wise yogis. But such a birth in this world is rare.
Vāṇi's rendering
Or he is born into a family of the wise themselves — a birth harder to win than any other.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अथatha | or, then |
| वाvā | else — the alternative to the previous verse's birth |
| योगिनाम्yoginām | of yogis, of those who practise |
| एवeva | themselves, indeed |
| कुलेkule | in the family, in the household line |
| भवतिbhavati | he comes to be, he is born |
| धीमताम्dhīmatām | of the wise, of those with clear understanding |
| एतत्etad | this (final t voiced to d before hi) |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| दुर्लभतरम्durlabhataram | harder to obtain, rarer still |
| लोकेloke | in this world |
| जन्मjanma | birth |
| यत्yad | which (final t voiced before the vowel of īdṛśam) |
| ईदृशम्īdṛśam | of such a kind, like this |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 42 mean?
Krishna is still answering the fear of wasted effort. One who fell from yoga may be born among the pure and prosperous — or, rarer still, into a household of yogis themselves. The second is harder to win because it gives not comfort but company: a family already turned in the direction you were walking.
What does 'atha va yoginam eva kule bhavati dhimatam' mean?
Or else he is born in the family of the wise who practise. Kula is lineage, not just parents — the air a child breathes before choosing anything. Krishna says such a birth is durlabhatara, rarer than the heavenly worlds, because the heavens end and this does not.
Why is birth into a family of yogis called rarer than heaven?
Heaven is a reward and rewards run out. A house of the wise is not a reward but a continuation — you resume rather than restart. Krishna values what carries forward over what merely feels good, and nothing carries forward like being raised where the search is ordinary.
Does this verse mean my spiritual effort is never lost?
Yes, and Krishna says it plainly across these verses. No sincere step falls out of existence. You may not see the harvest in this body or this decade. Practise anyway — not because a future birth is promised to you, but because the practice is already changing the ground you stand on.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna has asked what happens to the one who tries and falls short. Krishna gives him two answers, and this is the second — rarer than the first. Not the pure and prosperous house, but the house of the wise: people who already know what you were reaching for, who speak of it at meals. Krishna calls this harder to win than the heavens. Wealth can be inherited. So, apparently, can direction. Whatever practice you keep tonight without visible result is not stored in a ledger somewhere; it is shaping the room you will one day wake up in.