BhG 6.37

syntax

arjunaḥ (Arjuna) uvāca (he spoke):
he kṛṣṇa (O Kṛṣṇa!),
śraddhayā (with faith) upetaḥ (endowed) ayatiḥ (not endeavouring) yogāt (from yoga) calita-mānasaḥ (whose functions of the mind moved)
yoga-saṁsiddhim (perfection of yoga) aprāpya (after not obtaining)
kām gatim (what goal?) gacchati (he obtains).

grammar

arjunaḥ	–	arjuna 1n.1 m. – white, clear, Arjuna;
uvāca	–	√vac (to speak) Perf. P 1v.1 – he spoke;
ayatiḥ	–	a-yati 1n.1 m. – not endeavouring, non-ascetic (from: √yat – to place in order, to endeavour);
śraddhayā	–	śraddhā 3n.1 f. – with faith (from: śrat – in compounds: faith; √dhā – to put [faith]; śraddhā – faith, confidence);
upetaḥ	–	upeta (upa-√i – to go near, to attain) PP 1n.1 m. – endowed with;
yogāt	–	yoga 5n.1 m. – from yoga, from yoking, from application (from:√yuj – to yoke, to join, to engage);
calita-mānasaḥ	–	calita-mānasa 1n.1 m.; yasya mānasaṁ calitam asti saḥ – whose functions of the mind moved from (from: √cal – to move, to shake, PP calita – shaken, moving, disturbed; √man – to think, manas – the mind, mānasa – pertaining to the mind, imagine, thought);
aprāpya	–	na pra-√āp (to obtain) absol. –after not obtaining;
yoga-saṁsiddhim	–	yoga-sam-siddhi 2n.1 f.; TP: yogasya saṁsiddhim iti – success in yoga (from: √yuj – to yoke, to join, to engage, yoga – yoga, yoking, application, a means, one of the schools of Hindu philosophy; √sidh – to succeed, to become perfect, sam-siddhi – accomplishment, fulfilment, perfection, success);
kām	–	kim sn. 2n.1 f. – what?
gatim	–	gati 2n.1 f. – moving, way, passage, means, refuge, goal (from: √gam – to go);
kṛṣṇa	–	kṛṣṇa 8n.1 m. – O dark one, O Kṛṣṇa;
gacchati	–	√gam (to go, to obtain) Praes. P 1v.1 – he obtains, he goes;

textual variants

ayatiḥ → ayataḥ (unrestrained);

… → pada, not found in critical edition, after the second pada of verse 6.37:
ayaṁ niḥsaṁśayo yogo (that yoga without a doubt);

… → verse, not found in critical edition, between the second and third pada of verse 6.37:
lipsamānaḥ satāṁ mārgaṁ pramūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
aneka-citto vibhrānto mohasyaiva vaśaṁ gataḥ
Desiring to obtain the path of the saints, [but] perplexed in the path of brahman,
whose mind is not concentrated, wandering, who has gone into bewilderment…

Śāṃkara

tatra yogābhyāsāṅgīkaraṇena ihaloka-paraloka-prāpti-nimittāni karmāṇi saṃnyastāni, yoga-siddhi-phalaṃ ca mokṣa-sādhanaṃ samyag darśanaṃ na prāptam iti, yogī yoga-mārgāt maraṇa-kāle calita-citta iti tasya nāśam āśaṅkayārjuna uvāca—

ayatir aprayatnavān yoga-mārge śraddhayāstikya-buddhyā copeto yogād anta-kāle ca calitaṃ mānasaṃ mano yasya sa calita-mānaso bhraṣṭa-smṛtiḥ so’prāpya yoga-saṃsiddhiṃ yoga-phalaṃ samyag-darśanaṃ kāṃ gatiṃ he kṛṣṇa gacchati

Rāmānuja

commentary under the verse BhG 6.39

Śrīdhara

abhyāsa-vairāgyābhāvena kathañcid aprāpta-samyag-jñānaḥ kiṃ phalaṃ prāpnotīty arjuna uvāca ayatir it | prathamaṃ śraddhayopeta eva yoge pravṛttaḥ, na tu mithyācāratayā | tataḥ paraṃ tv ayatiḥ samyaṅ na yatate | śithilābhyāsa ity arthaḥ | evam abhyāsa-vairāgya-śaithilyād yogasya saṃsiddhiṃ phalaṃ jñānam aprāpya kāṃ gatiṃ prāpnoti ?

Madhusūdana

evaṃ prāktanena granthenotpanna-tattva-jñāno ‚nutpanna-jīvan-mukti-paramo yogī mataḥ | utpanna-tattva-jñāna utpanna-jīvan-muktis tu paramo yogī mata ity uktam | tayor ubhayor api jñānād jñāna-nāśe ‚pi yāvat prārabdha-bhogaṃ karma dehendriya-saṅghātāvasthānāt prārabdha-bhoga-karmāpāye ca vartamāna-dehendriya-saṅghātāpāyāt punar-utpādakābhāvād videha-kaivalyaṃ prati kāpi nāsty āśaṅkā | yas tu prāk-kṛta-karmabhir labdha-vividiṣā-paryanta-citta-śuddhiḥ kṛta-kāryatvāt sarvāṇi karmāṇi parityajya prāpta-paramahaṃsa-parivrājaka-bhāvaḥ paramahaṃsa-parivrājakam ātma-sākṣātkāreṇa jīvan-muktaṃ para-prabodhana-dakṣaṃ gurum upasṛtya tato vedānta-mahā-vākyopadeśaṃ prāpya tatrāsambhāvanā-viparīta-bhāvanākhya-pratibandha-nirāsāya athāto brahma-jijñāsā [Vs 1.1.1] ity ādy anāvṛttiḥ śabdāt [Vs 4.4.23] ity antayā catur-lakṣaṇa-mīmāṃsayā śravaṇa-manana-nididhyāsanāni guru-prasādāt kartum ārabhate sa śraddadhāno ‚pi sann āyuṣo ‚lpatvenālpa-prayatnatvād alabdha-jñāna-paripākaḥ śravaṇa-manana-nididhyāsaneṣu kriyamāṇeṣv eva madhye vyāpadyate | sa jñāna-paripāka-śūnyatvenānaṣṭājñāno na mucyate | nāpy upāsanā-sahita-karma-phalaṃ devalokam anubhavaty arcir-ādi-mārgeṇa | nāpi kevala-karma-phalaṃ pitṛ-lokam anubhavati dhūmādi-mārgeṇa | karmaṇām upāsanānāṃ ca tyaktatvāt | ata etādṛśo yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ kīṭādi-bhāvena kaṣṭāṃ gatim iyād ajñatve sati deva-yāna-pitṛ-yāna-mārgāsambandhitvād varṇāśramācāra-bhraṣṭavad athavā kaṣṭāṃ gatiṃ neyāt | śāstra-ninidta-karma-śūnyatvād vāmadevavad iti saṃśaya-paryākula-manā arjuna uvāca ayatir iti |

yatir yatna-śīlaḥ alpārthe nañ alavaṇā yavāgūr ity-ādivat | ayatir alpa-yatnaḥ | śraddhayā guru-vedānta-vākyeṣu viśvāsa-buddhi-rūpayopeto yuktaḥ | śraddhā ca sva-sahacaritānāṃ śamādīnām upalakṣaṇaṃ śānto dānta uparatas titikṣuḥ śraddhānvito bhūtvātmany evātmānaṃ paśyati iti śruteḥ | tena nityānitya-vastu-viveka ihāmutra-bhoga-virāgaḥ śama-damoparati-titikṣā-śraddhādi-sampan-mumukṣutā ceti sādhana-catuṣṭaya-sampanno gurum upasṛtya vedānta-vākya-śravaṇādi kurvann api paramāyuṣo ‚lpatvena maraṇa-kāle cendriyāṇāṃ vyākulatvena sādhanānuṣṭhānāsambhavād yogāc calita-mānaso yogāc chravaṇādi-paripāka-labdha-janmanas tattva-sākṣātkārāc calitaṃ tat-phalam aprāptaṃ mānasaṃ yasya sa yogāniṣpattyaivāprāpya yoga-saṃsiddhiṃ tattva-jñāna-nimittām ajñāna-tat-kārya-nivṛttim apunar-āvṛtti-sahitām aprāpyātattva-jña eva mṛtaḥ san kāṃ gatiṃ he kṛṣṇa gacchati sugatiṃ durgatiṃ vā ? karmaṇāṃ parityāgāj jñānasya cānutpatteḥ śāstrokta-mokṣa-sādhanānuṣṭhāyitvāc chāstra-garhita-karma-śūnyatvāc ca

Viśvanātha

nanv abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ prayatnavataiva puṃsā yogo labhyata iti tvayocyate | yasyaitat tritayam api na dṛśyate, tasya kā gatir iti pṛcchati | ayatir alpa-yatnaḥ anavarṇāya vāgur itivad alpārthe nañ | atha ca śraddhayopeto yoga-śāstrāstikyena tatra śraddhayopeto yogābhyāsa pravṛtta eva, na tu loka-vañcakatvena mithyācāraḥ | kintv abhyāsa-vairāgyayor abhāvena yogāc calitaṃ viṣaya-pravaṇī-bhūtaṃ mānasaṃ yasya saḥ | ataeva yogasya saṃsiddhiṃ samyak siddhim aprāpyeti yat kiñcit siddhiṃ tu prāpta eveti yogārurukṣā-bhūmikāto ‚grimāṃ yogāroha-bhūmikāyāḥ prathamāṃ kakṣāṃ gata iti bhāvaḥ

Baladeva

jñāna-garbho niṣkāma-karma-yogo ‚ṣṭāṅga-yoga-śirasko nikhilopasarga-vimardanaḥ sva-paramātmāvalokanopāyo bhavatīty asakṛd uktam | tasya ca tādṛśasya nehābhikrama-nāśo ‚stīti pūrvokta-mahimnas tan-mahimānaṃ śrotum arjunaḥ pṛcchati ayatir iti | abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ prayatnena ca yogaṃ pumān labhetaiva | yas tu prathamaṃ śraddhayā tādṛśa-yoga-nirūpaka-śruti-viśvāsenopetaḥ | kintv ayatir alpa-svadharmānuṣṭhāna-yatnavān anudārā yuvatiḥ itivad alpārthe ‚tra nañ | śithila-prayatnatvād eva yogād aṣṭāṅgāc calitaṃ viṣaya-pravaṇaṃ mānasaṃ yasya saḥ | evaṃ ca svadharmānuṣṭhānābhyāsa-vairāgya-śaithilyād vividhasya yogasya samyak siddhiṃ hṛd-viśuddh-lakṣaṇām ātmāvalokana-lakṣaṇāṃ cāprāptaḥ kiṃcit siddhiṃ tu prāpta eva | śraddhāluḥ kiṃcid anuṣṭhita-svadharmaḥ prārabdha-yogo ‚prāpta-yoga-phalo dehānte kāṃ gatiṃ gacchati ? he kṛṣṇa