Good company accelerates practice.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् |एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ||६-४२||
athavā yogināmeva kule bhavati dhīmatām . etaddhi durlabhataraṃ loke janma yadīdṛśam ||6-42||
Use this verse to value spiritual community.
Meaning
Or such a person is born in a family of wise yogis; such a birth is very rare in this world.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
A spiritual environment is a rare blessing.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna shows that advanced impressions may lead to a birth surrounded by wisdom and practice.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna describes an even more fortunate possibility for the one who fell from yoga: rather than merely a prosperous home, he may be born directly into a kula of dhimat yogis — a family of wise spiritual practitioners. To grow up surrounded by realized seekers, steeped from infancy in an atmosphere of practice and wisdom, is an extraordinary blessing for the continuation of one's inner journey.
Krishna calls such a birth durlabhatara — exceedingly rare, harder to obtain than any worldly fortune. This reverses ordinary human valuation: what the world prizes as good fortune is wealth and status, but the Gita ranks a birth into spiritual company far higher. For the advanced seeker, the most precious circumstance is not comfort but proximity to truth and to those who live it.
The fallen yogi, having already advanced far, may be granted this rarest of gifts — to be born where the path is already known and honored, so he may resume his climb with the least delay.
In daily life
Seek environments that support your highest self.
A seeker grows faster with sincere teachers, family support, or a spiritual community.
Try this today
Connect with one uplifting person or community.
I value the company that supports my soul.Reflect
Who supports my spiritual growth?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘योगिनाम् एव कुले’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on rebirth, in other chapters
- Verse 16.20The deepest fall is simply losing connection with the Divine — and that connection, once sought, can always be restored.
- Verse 2.27Accept the inevitability of birth and death as natural law, and redirect the energy spent on grief toward present purposeful action.
- Verse 4.9Truly understanding the divine nature — not as theory but as living insight — frees us from endless cycles and unites us with it.
- Verse 8.15Worldly life, for all its pleasures, is fleeting and tinged with sorrow; the soul's true freedom lies beyond the wheel of rebirth.
Swipe left for 6.43 · Spiritual impressions continue.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.42
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.42, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.42, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.42 mean?
Or such a person is born in a family of wise yogis; such a birth is very rare in this world. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.42 for daily life?
Seek environments that support your highest self. A seeker grows faster with sincere teachers, family support, or a spiritual community.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.42 mean?
अथवा — or else; योगिनाम् एव कुले — in a family of yogis; भवति धीमताम् — is born, of the wise; एतत् हि दुर्लभतरम् — this indeed is more rare / hard to obtain; लोके जन्म यत् ईदृशम् — a birth like this in the world.
Where does verse 6.42 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 42 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.43.