Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 9, Verse 31
क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति।।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति।।
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-cchāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
also searched as "kshipram bhavati dharmatma shashvacchantim nigacchati"
Translation
Quickly, he becomes righteous and obtains everlasting peace. Affirm on My behalf, O Arjuna, that My devotee never perishes.
Vāṇi's rendering
Even the worst sinner turns righteous quickly and finds lasting peace. Declare it boldly: no one who loves me is lost.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| क्षिप्रम्kṣipram | quickly, in a short time |
| भवतिbhavati | becomes |
| धर्मात्माdharmātmā | one whose very being is righteous |
| शश्वत्śaśvat | lasting, unbroken (joined by sandhi to the next word as śaśvac-cchāntim) |
| शान्तिम्śāntim | peace |
| निगच्छतिnigacchati | comes to, arrives at |
| कौन्तेयkaunteya | O son of Kunti — Arjuna |
| प्रतिजानीहिpratijānīhi | declare it, give your word on it |
| नna | not |
| मेme | my, of me |
| भक्तःbhaktaḥ | the one who loves and holds to me |
| प्रणश्यतिpraṇaśyati | is lost, comes to ruin |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 31 mean?
It means the turning is fast and the peace is lasting. Krishna is not describing a long probation for the wicked; he says dharmātmā bhavati kṣipram — such a one becomes righteous quickly. Then he asks Arjuna to swear to it publicly: no one who holds to Krishna is finally lost.
What does kshipram bhavati dharmatma teach us?
That character follows direction, not history. The moment the whole heart turns, the person is already becoming righteous — the outward life catches up after. You are not asked to earn your way back to worthiness before you are allowed to love. The love comes first, and the straightening follows it.
Why does Krishna ask Arjuna to declare it instead of saying it himself?
Because a person crushed by his own record often cannot accept mercy from the one he believes he has offended. Krishna makes Arjuna the guarantor — pratijānīhi. The promise passes into a human mouth so that it can be heard. Someone must be willing to say it out loud to another.
Does this verse mean wrongdoing has no consequences?
No. Nothing here calls the wrong small or unreal; the previous verse names the person su-durācāra, one whose conduct has been genuinely bad. What Krishna removes is not consequence but doom. The past still costs something. It no longer decides where you end.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna does not ask Arjuna to believe this. He asks him to announce it — pratijānīhi, go on record. The promise is handed to a witness, because a man drowning in his own past will not take the word of the one he has wronged; he needs to hear it from another mouth. And notice what is not excused. The sinner is not called innocent; he is said to turn, and turn quickly. Love reorganizes a life faster than shame can keep up with it. You have been keeping a ledger on yourself. Krishna has asked someone else to close it.