Chapter 18, Verse 71
श्रद्धावाननसूयश्च शृणुयादपि यो नरः | सोऽपि मुक्तः शुभाँल्लोकान्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यकर्मणाम् ||१८-७१||
śraddhāvānanasūyaśca śṛṇuyādapi yo naraḥ . so.api muktaḥ śubhā.Nllokānprāpnuyātpuṇyakarmaṇām ||18-71||
Meaning
18.71 Also the man who hears this, full of faith and free from malice, he, too, liberated, shall attain to the happy worlds of those of righteous deeds.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna widens the circle of grace still further. Even the one who merely listens to this teaching — provided he does so shraddhavan (with faith) and anasuya (without malice or cynicism) — is freed and attains the bright worlds of the righteous.
The two conditions are essential: faith and freedom from fault-finding. With these, even simple hearing bears great fruit; without them, even deep study may fail. This reveals that the heart's openness matters more than intellectual mastery. A receptive, trusting attitude lets the teaching work upon the soul even through the ears alone. The Gita thus extends its blessing generously to all who approach it sincerely, whether as devoted students or as faith-filled listeners.
💡 Key Takeaway
Even hearing sacred truth with faith and without cynicism uplifts and liberates the soul.
Related Verses
अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् | भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ||१८-१२||
aniṣṭamiṣṭaṃ miśraṃ ca trividhaṃ karmaṇaḥ phalam . bhavatyatyāgināṃ pretya na tu saṃnyāsināṃ kvacit ||18-12||
18.12 The threefold fruit of action (evil, good and mixed) accrues after death to the non-abandoners, but never to the abandoners.
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये | बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ||१८-३०||
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca kāryākārye bhayābhaye . bandhaṃ mokṣaṃ ca yā vetti buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī ||18-30||
18.30 The intellect which knows the path of work and renunciation, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation that intellect is Sattvic (pure), O Arjuna.
शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च | ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ||१८-४२||
śamo damastapaḥ śaucaṃ kṣāntirārjavameva ca . jñānaṃ vijñānamāstikyaṃ brahmakarma svabhāvajam ||18-42||
18.42 Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness and also uprightness, knowledge, realisation and belief in God are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of (their own) nature.