Transcendental Knowledge
Verse 2.52
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति। तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च।।2.52।।
yadā te moha-kalilaṁ buddhir vyatitariṣhyati tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śhrotavyasya śhrutasya cha
Word Meanings
yadā—when; te—your; moha—delusion; kalilam—quagmire; buddhiḥ—intellect; vyatitariṣhyati—crosses; tadā—then; gantāsi—you shall acquire; nirvedam—indifferent; śhrotavyasya—to what is yet to be heard; śhrutasya—to what has been heard; cha—and
Translation · English
When your intellect passes beyond the mire of delusion, then you will attain indifference to what has been heard and what has yet to be heard.
Deep Meaning · English
In this pivotal verse, Lord Krishna addresses the psychological and intellectual fog that prevents Arjuna—and every spiritual seeker—from perceiving reality as it truly is. The 'moha-kalilam' (quagmire of delusion) represents the intricate web of dualistic thinking, attachment, and ego-identification that traps the consciousness in the cycle of samsara. When the intellect becomes refined through selfless action and meditative discernment, it naturally transcends these mental obstacles, resulting in a state of 'nirveda'—a profound sense of detachment or disillusionment with the trivialities of the phenomenal world. This is not a state of apathy or cynicism, but a holy indifference toward all external noise, including the promises of future teachings or the accumulated knowledge of the past. It signifies that the intellect has stopped seeking 'more' information because it has reached the inner threshold of direct, experiential truth. By stripping away the need for external scriptural validation or worldly future outcomes, the seeker enters a state of serene internal stillness, ready to receive the Ultimate Reality. In the discourse, Krishna is urging Arjuna to stop looking for answers in the confused moral dilemmas of his mind and instead look within, where the truth resides beyond the reach of conditioned thought. This transition marks the shift from being a 'student of rules' to a 'knower of the Self', where the thirst for external knowledge is replaced by the silent satisfaction of the Atman.
True spiritual freedom is attained when the mind transcends the turbulence of dualistic knowledge and rests in the silent, indifferent peace of the Self, no longer seeking fulfillment in the heard or the yet-to-be-heard.
Connected Verses
Echoes the call to abandon all minor dharmic injunctions (the 'heard') to focus solely on the singular surrender to the Divine.
Highlights that the ultimate purpose of all Vedas is the knowledge of the Self, rather than just the intellectual accumulation of information.
Reinforces the idea that the seeker transcends mere scriptural knowledge (shabda-brahma) when they reach a higher state of yoga.
This verse directly continues the thought, describing the state of Samadhi where the intellect becomes immovable and steadfast.
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