Chapter 2, Verse 52
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति । तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥
yadā te moha-kalilaṃ buddhir vyatitariṣyati tadā gantāsi nirvedaṃ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
Meaning
When your intelligence crosses over the dense forest of delusion, you will become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is yet to be heard.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna here describes a pivotal turning point in the spiritual journey — the moment when intelligence (buddhi) breaks free from the thick undergrowth of moha (delusion). The metaphor of 'moha-kalilam' as a dense thicket or mire is vivid: delusion is not merely a single wrong idea but a tangled mass of misconceptions, projections, and false identifications that has obscured the truth of one's nature.
Once buddhi crosses this barrier, the aspirant arrives at a state of 'nirveda' — often translated as indifference, but more precisely a natural disenchantment with the endless chatter of received knowledge and future spiritual promises. This is not nihilism but the dispassion that arises when one begins to directly perceive reality rather than depending on secondhand maps and descriptions.
The reference to 'what has been heard and what is yet to be heard' encompasses the entire range of scriptural injunctions, ritual prescriptions, and doctrinal formulations. While such knowledge is valuable as a guide, there comes a point where direct experience supersedes intellectual frameworks. The Gita here points toward a lived realization that transcends even the finest teachings — including, paradoxically, the Gita itself. This verse thus introduces the quality of viveka (discrimination) that is essential to the sthitaprajna.
💡 Key Takeaway
When intelligence transcends delusion, the seeker becomes naturally disenchanted with all secondhand knowledge and rests in direct knowing.
Related Verses
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय । बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥
dūreṇa hy avaraṃ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
O Dhananjaya, keep all inferior works far away from the yoga of intelligence. Seek refuge in divine intelligence. Those who are motivated by the fruits of their action are misers.
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
One who is endowed with the yoga of intelligence abandons both good and evil deeds even in this life. Therefore, strive for yoga — yoga is skill in action.
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः । जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥
karma-jaṃ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchanty anāmayam
The wise, endowed with intelligence, having abandoned the fruits born of action, are freed from the bondage of birth and death and attain a state beyond all miseries.