Clarity reduces dependence on noise.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति ।तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥
yadā te moha-kalilaṃ buddhir vyatitariṣyati tadā gantāsi nirvedaṃ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
Use this verse when you are stuck in advice overload.
Meaning
When your intellect crosses the muddy confusion of delusion, you will become indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
When delusion clears, the mind stops chasing endless opinions.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna describes the moment when the intellect crosses confusion. Before clarity, we collect advice, theories, content, and opinions. After clarity, the mind becomes quieter and less dependent on external noise. This is highly relevant in the age of information overload.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Seek enough guidance to become clear, not endless content to avoid action.
A person may watch many videos about career change but never decide; clarity ends the loop.
Try this today
Stop consuming for one hour and write your next clear action.
My intellect crosses confusion into clarity.Reflect
Am I learning for clarity or consuming to avoid action?
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Quick check
What does ‘buddhiḥ’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on discrimination, in other chapters
- Verse 4.17Discern not only whether you act, but the quality of the act — the consequences of action run deeper than they appear.
- Verse 7.10Your intelligence and brilliance are borrowed light from the eternal Source — hold your gifts with gratitude, not pride.
- Verse 1.23 · ArjunaCorrupted intelligence, not pure evil, is often the root of collective harm — examine your own reasoning regularly for distortion.
- Verse 3.32Cynical fault-finding closes the door to growth — the refusal to even try wisdom, not lack of opportunity, is what keeps people bound.
Swipe left for 2.53 · Stable wisdom is the doorway to yoga.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.52
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.52, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 2.52, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.52 mean?
When your intellect crosses the muddy confusion of delusion, you will become indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.52 for daily life?
Seek enough guidance to become clear, not endless content to avoid action. A person may watch many videos about career change but never decide; clarity ends the loop.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.52 mean?
yadā — when; te — your; moha-kalilam — the dense forest of delusion, the mire of illusion; buddhiḥ — intelligence, discriminative wisdom; vyatitariṣyati — will cross over, will pass beyond.
Where does verse 2.52 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 52 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.53.