Question sincerely, but do not hide behind criticism.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् |सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतसः ||३-३२||
ye tvetadabhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam . sarvajñānavimūḍhāṃstānviddhi naṣṭānacetasaḥ ||3-32||
Use this verse when skepticism becomes avoidance.
Meaning
But those who criticize this teaching and do not follow it are deluded in all knowledge; know them to be lost and lacking discernment.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Rejecting wisdom without practice keeps the mind confused.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna warns against cynical rejection. A person may appear intellectual while avoiding transformation. When the ego refuses to practice, even knowledge becomes sterile. This verse is not an attack on honest questioning; the Gita welcomes sincere inquiry. It warns against fault-finding that protects laziness, ego, or attachment.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna gives the contrasting consequence. Those who abhyasuyanta — find fault with and resent the teaching — and refuse to practise it are sarva-jnana-vimudha, confused in all knowledge, lacking discrimination, and headed for ruin. Their loss is self-inflicted, born of cynical rejection rather than mere lack of opportunity.
The key word is again asuya, the fault-finding, resentful spirit that closes the heart to wisdom. It is not ignorance alone that ruins a person but the arrogant refusal to learn, the cynicism that mocks what it has not tried. Such an attitude bars the door to growth and leaves one mandant in confusion.
The verse is not a threat of external punishment but a description of natural consequence: those who reject the very means of their liberation simply remain bound. Receptivity, the opposite of carping, is the doorway through which truth enters a life.
In daily life
Distinguish honest inquiry from egoic fault-finding.
Someone may dismiss discipline as outdated because they do not want to change their habits.
Try this today
Before dismissing a teaching, try one small practice from it.
I question sincerely and practice honestly.Reflect
Is my criticism protecting my growth or protecting my comfort?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ये तु एतत् अभ्यसूयन्तः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on consequences, in other chapters
- Verse 16.16A mind scattered by endless cravings and tangled in delusion creates its own hell, here and now.
- Verse 9.3Without sincere faith the door to higher truth stays closed, and life keeps repeating its old patterns of striving and loss.
- Verse 7.15What closes the heart to the Divine is not fate but a chosen pride — and humility is the first crack of light.
- Verse 14.16The inner quality behind your actions, not just their outcome, decides whether you harvest peace, pain, or confusion.
Swipe left for 3.33 · Know your nature, then guide it toward dharma.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.32
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.32, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.32, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.32 mean?
But those who criticize this teaching and do not follow it are deluded in all knowledge; know them to be lost and lacking discernment. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.32 for daily life?
Distinguish honest inquiry from egoic fault-finding. Someone may dismiss discipline as outdated because they do not want to change their habits.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.32 mean?
ये तु एतत् अभ्यसूयन्तः — but those who, carping at this; न अनुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् — do not practise My teaching; सर्वज्ञानविमूढान् — deluded in all knowledge; तान् विद्धि — know them to be; नष्टान् अचेतसः — ruined and devoid of discrimination.
Where does verse 3.32 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 32 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.33.