Good effort is never wasted.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते |न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ||६-४०||
śrībhagavānuvāca . pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśastasya vidyate . na hi kalyāṇakṛtkaścid durgatiṃ tāta gacchati ||6-40||
Use this verse when you fear your effort was wasted.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, such a person is not destroyed here or hereafter; no doer of good ever comes to a bad end, dear one.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
No sincere good effort is lost.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives immense reassurance. Spiritual effort, ethical action, and sincere practice create lasting benefit.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna's answer is among the most comforting promises in all of scripture, and the tenderness of his address — tata, 'my dear child' — reveals the love behind it. He sweeps away Arjuna's fear at once: for the sincere seeker there is no destruction, neither in this world (iha) nor the next (amutra). The scattered-cloud fate Arjuna dreaded simply does not exist.
The reason given is a spiritual law of profound reassurance: na hi kalyana-krit kashchit durgatim tata gacchati — no one who does good ever comes to a bad end. Every step toward the Divine, however incomplete, is a kalyana, an act of true welfare, and the moral order of the universe ensures that such good is never lost.
Effort on the spiritual path is not like a worldly gamble that can leave one empty-handed. It accumulates, it endures, it carries forward. This single verse has consoled seekers for millennia, assuring every struggling aspirant that no sincere effort toward goodness is ever wasted.
In daily life
Restart without fear; your past effort still matters.
A person returning to practice after years has not lost the value of past sincerity.
Try this today
List three sincere efforts you have made.
My good efforts are protected.Reflect
What good effort should I honor in myself?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘तात गच्छति’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on hope, in other chapters
- Verse 9.30No past failure can shut the door; the moment you sincerely turn toward the Divine, your transformation has already begun.
- Verse 10.36All power flows from the Divine, so consciously align your borrowed strength with resolve, integrity, and goodness.
- Verse 16.5Your essential nature is already oriented toward freedom — do not despair over your flaws, but lean into the light you were made for.
- Verse 17.26Truth and goodness share one source — every genuinely worthy and auspicious act reflects the reality of the Divine.
Swipe left for 6.41 · Practice creates future support.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.40
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.40, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.40, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.40 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, such a person is not destroyed here or hereafter; no doer of good ever comes to a bad end, dear one. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.40 for daily life?
Restart without fear; your past effort still matters. A person returning to practice after years has not lost the value of past sincerity.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.40 mean?
पार्थ — O Partha (Arjuna); न एव इह न अमुत्र — neither here nor hereafter; विनाशः तस्य विद्यते — is there destruction for him; न हि कल्याणकृत् — for no one who does good; कश्चित् दुर्गतिम् — ever to an evil state.
Where does verse 6.40 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 40 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.41.