Chapter 18, Verse 72
कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा | कच्चिदज्ञानसम्मोहः प्रनष्टस्ते धनञ्जय ||१८-७२||
kaccidetacchrutaṃ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā . kaccidajñānasammohaḥ pranaṣṭaste dhanañjaya ||18-72||
Meaning
18.72 Has this been heard, O Arjuna, with one-pointed mind? Has the delusion of thy ignorance been destroyed, O Dhananjaya?
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Having completed His teaching, Krishna turns with care to ask Arjuna directly: Have you heard all this with a one-pointed mind? Has your ajnana-sammoha, the delusion born of ignorance, now been destroyed?
This tender question reveals the heart of a true teacher. Krishna does not assume His words have landed; He checks whether understanding has actually dawned and whether Arjuna's original confusion — the very crisis that opened the Gita — has dissolved. The whole dialogue began in delusion, and now the Lord asks whether that delusion is gone. A great teacher cares not merely to speak truth but to ensure it is received, and invites the student to confirm their own transformation.
💡 Key Takeaway
A true teacher cares whether understanding has truly dawned, not merely whether the words were spoken.
Related Verses
अर्जुन उवाच | संन्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम् | त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश पृथक्केशिनिषूदन ||१८-१||
arjuna uvāca . saṃnyāsasya mahābāho tattvamicchāmi veditum . tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthakkeśiniṣūdana ||18-1||
18.1 Arjuna said I desire to know severally, O mighty-armed, the essence or truth of renunciation, O Hrishikesa, as also of abandonment, O slayer of Kesi.
य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति | भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः ||१८-६८||
ya idaṃ paramaṃ guhyaṃ madbhakteṣvabhidhāsyati . bhaktiṃ mayi parāṃ kṛtvā māmevaiṣyatyasaṃśayaḥ ||18-68||
18.68 He who with supreme devotion to Me will teach this supreme secret to My devotees, shall doubtlessly come to Me.
न च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु कश्चिन्मे प्रियकृत्तमः | भविता न च मे तस्मादन्यः प्रियतरो भुवि ||१८-६९||
na ca tasmānmanuṣyeṣu kaścinme priyakṛttamaḥ . bhavitā na ca me tasmādanyaḥ priyataro bhuvi ||18-69||
18.69 Nor is there any among men who does dearer service to Me, nor shall there be another on earth dearer to Me than he.