Chapter 6 · Shloka 39— The Yoga of Meditation / Self-Control

etan me sanśhayaṁ kṛiṣhṇa chhettum arhasyaśheṣhataḥ tvad-anyaḥ sanśhayasyāsya chhettā na hyupapadyate

etat

— this

me

— my

sanśhayam

— doubt

kṛiṣhṇa

— Krishna

chhettum

— to dispel

arhasi

— you can

aśheṣhataḥ

— completely

tvat

— than you

anyaḥ

— other

sanśhayasya

— of doubt

asya

— this

chhettā

— a dispeller

na

— never

hi

— certainly

upapadyate

— is fit

"Etan me samsayam krsna chettum arhasy asesatah, tvad-anyah samsayasyasya chetta na hy upapadyate." — This doubt of mine, O Krishna, please dispel completely; for none other than You can be found to remove this doubt. Arjuna closes his question with a heartfelt appeal. He calls his worry a 'samsaya' — a doubt — and asks Krishna to cut it through 'asesatah,' completely, leaving no residue. And he adds a beautiful expression of faith: 'tvad-anyah ... chetta na hi upapadyate' — there is no one other than You capable of dispelling this doubt. Shankaracharya notes the significance of this appeal. The question about the fate of the failed seeker is not one that ordinary worldly knowledge can answer. It concerns the workings of karma across lifetimes, the fate of the soul, the value of spiritual effort in the cosmic scheme — matters beyond the reach of empirical observation or human reasoning alone. Only one who knows the ultimate truth directly can answer authoritatively. Arjuna's words also model the ideal disposition of a student: he brings his honest doubt fully into the open, asks for it to be resolved completely, and expresses sincere trust in his teacher's unique capacity to resolve it. This combination of honest questioning and genuine faith is precisely the receptive condition in which deep wisdom can be transmitted (recall 4.34). Having heard this sincere appeal, Krishna will now give one of the most consoling and hope-filled teachings in the entire Gita.

Arjuna does two things well here that we can learn from. First, he names his doubt openly and asks for it to be resolved 'completely' — no half-answers, no living with lingering uncertainty. Second, he turns to the one source he genuinely trusts to answer it. There's wisdom in recognizing which questions can't be answered by ordinary information-gathering and require a deeper source. Not every doubt yields to a quick search or casual opinion; some require turning to genuine wisdom. The combination of honest questioning plus real trust is exactly the openness in which transformative answers can actually land.

Arjuna does two smart things here. First, he names his doubt out loud and asks for it to be cleared up 'completely' — no half-answers, no living with that nagging uncertainty. Second, he turns to the one source he genuinely trusts to actually answer it. There's real wisdom in recognizing which questions CAN'T be solved by a quick Google or a random hot take, and which need a deeper source. Not every doubt yields to surface-level info. The combo of honest questioning + real trust is exactly the openness that lets a transformative answer actually land. Bring your real doubts to a real source.

Arjuna asks Krishna kindly: 'Please clear up this doubt of mine completely — because no one else but You can answer such a deep question!' Arjuna shows us a great way to learn: ask your question openly and honestly, and trust the wise person you're asking. Some questions are so deep that you need to ask someone who really, truly knows. Arjuna trusts Krishna fully, and now he's about to receive a wonderful answer!