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क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम्। अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते।।12.5।।

kleśho ’dhikataras teṣhām avyaktāsakta-chetasām avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 12, Verse 5
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested, for the goal of the unmanifested is very hard for the embodied to reach.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: for those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, the difficulty is greater, since attainment of the unmanifest is hard for embodied beings, Krishna names the actual practical cost of choosing the harder path honestly.

In life: it's more useful to be told honestly that a particular approach will be harder for you specifically than to be given a falsely equal comparison between options.

Teaching: when weighing two approaches to a goal, be honest with yourself about which one is actually harder given your specific situation, rather than pretending the difficulty is equal for everyone.

kleśhaḥtribulations
adhika-taraḥfull of
teṣhāmof those
avyaktato the unmanifest
āsaktaattached
chetasāmwhose minds
avyaktāthe unmanifest
hiindeed
gatiḥpath
duḥkhamexceeding difficulty
deha-vadbhiḥfor the embodied
avāpyateis reached

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
12.5 क्लेशः the trouble? अधिकतरः (is) greater? तेषाम् of those? अव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् whose minds are set on the unmanifested? अव्यक्ता the unmanifested? हि for? गतिः goal? दुःखम् pain? देहवद्भिः by the embodied? अवाप्यते is reached.Commentary Worshippers of the Saguna (alified) and the Nirguna (unalified) Brahman reach the same goal. But the latter path is very hard and arduous? because the aspirant has to give up attachment to the body from the very beginning of his spiritual practice.The embodied Those who identify themselves with their bodies. Identification with the body is Dehabhimana. The imperishable Brahman is very hard to reach for those who are attached to their bodies. Further? it is extremely difficult to fix the resltess mind on the formless and attributeless Brahman. Contemplation on the imperishable? attributeless Brahman demands a very sharp? onepointed and subtle intellect. The Upanishad says Drisyate tu agraya buddhya sukshmaya sukshmadarsibhih -- It is seen by subtle seers through their subtle intellect.He who meditates on the unmanifested should possess the four means. Then he will have to approach a Guru who is well versed in the scriptures and who is also established in Brahman. He will have to hear the Truth from him? then reflect and meditate on It.He who realises the Nirguna (attributeless) Brahman attains eternal bliss or Selfrealisation or Kaivalya (Moksha) which is preceded by the destruction of ignorance with its effects. He who realises the Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) goes to Brahmaloka and enjoys all the wealth and powers of the Lord. He then gets initiation into the mysteries of the Absolute from Hiranyagarbha and without any effort and without the practice of hearing? reflection and meditation attains? through the grace of the Lord alone? the same state as attained by those who have realised the Nirguna Brahman. Through the knowledge of the Self? ignorance and its effects,are destroyed in the case of the worshippers of the Saguna Brahman also.