Chapter 9, Verse 30
अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् | साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ||९-३०||
api cetsudurācāro bhajate māmananyabhāk . sādhureva sa mantavyaḥ samyagvyavasito hi saḥ ||9-30||
Meaning
9.30 Even if the most sinful worships Me, with devotion to none else, he too should indeed by regarded as righteous for he has rightly resolved.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna offers one of the most consoling assurances in all of scripture. Even the su-duracara — the worst of wrongdoers — if he worships with ananya-bhakti, undivided devotion, is to be deemed sadhu, righteous. The decisive factor is not a spotless past but the right resolve, samyak vyavasita: the heart has turned decisively toward the Divine.
This is a teaching of profound hope. No one is ever beyond redemption; the moment the soul sincerely turns toward God, transformation has already begun. The past does not bind a heart that has genuinely changed direction. Krishna values not where we have been but where we are now facing. For anyone burdened by guilt or failure, this verse opens the door wide: the sole prerequisite for grace is sincere turning, and that turning is available in any moment, to anyone.
💡 Key Takeaway
No past failure can shut the door; the moment you sincerely turn toward the Divine, your transformation has already begun.
Related Verses
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् | प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ||९-२||
rājavidyā rājaguhyaṃ pavitramidamuttamam . pratyakṣāvagamaṃ dharmyaṃ susukhaṃ kartumavyayam ||9-2||
9.2 This is the kingl science, the kingly secret, the supreme purifier, realisable by direct intuitional knowledge, according to righteousness, very easy to perform and imperishable.
महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः | भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ||९-१३||
mahātmānastu māṃ pārtha daivīṃ prakṛtimāśritāḥ . bhajantyananyamanaso jñātvā bhūtādimavyayam ||9-13||
9.13 But the great souls, O Arjuna, partaking of My divine nature, worship Me with a single mind (with the mind devoted to nothing else), knowing Me as the imperishable source of beings.
सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां यतन्तश्च दृढव्रताः | नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ||९-१४||
satataṃ kīrtayanto māṃ yatantaśca dṛḍhavratāḥ . namasyantaśca māṃ bhaktyā nityayuktā upāsate ||9-14||
9.14 Always glorifying Me, striving,firm in vows, prostrating themselves before Me, they worship Me with devotion always steadfast.