Chapter 7, Verse 28
येषां त्वन्तगतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम् | ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः ||७-२८||
yeṣāṃ tvantagataṃ pāpaṃ janānāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām . te dvandvamohanirmuktā bhajante māṃ dṛḍhavratāḥ ||7-28||
Meaning
7.28 But those men of virtuous deeds whose sins have come to an end, and who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites, worship Me, steadfast in their vows.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
After describing the universal bondage of opposites, Krishna shows the way out. Those whose past wrongdoing has 'come to an end' — purified by virtuous action (punya-karma) — are released from the delusion of the dvandvas. No longer jerked about by desire and aversion, they worship Him with firm resolve, dridha-vratah, steadfast in their commitment.
The progression matters. Freedom from the pairs of opposites does not arrive by wishing; it grows as the heart is purified through right living and good deeds. As the inner clutter of selfishness clears, devotion can become single and unshakable. The verse offers both a goal and a method: live rightly, and your faults dissolve; as they dissolve, the swinging of opposites loses its grip; and in that growing freedom, steady, wholehearted worship of the Divine becomes possible.
💡 Key Takeaway
Purified by right living, the heart slips free of likes and dislikes and grows capable of steady, wholehearted devotion.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः | असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ||७-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ . asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||7-1||
7.1 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, hear how you shall without doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me, practising Yoga and taking refuge in Me.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया | मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ||७-१४||
daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā . māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṃ taranti te ||7-14||
7.14 Verily, this divine illusion of Mine, made up of the (three) alities (of Nature) is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this illusion.
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन | आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ||७-१६||
caturvidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino.arjuna . ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ||7-16||
7.16 Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna, and they are the distressed, the seekr of knowledge, the seekr of wealth and the wise, O lord of the Bharatas.