Bhagavad Gita BG 6.39
Chapter 6, Verse 39 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः । त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥
etan me samshayam krishna chettum arhasy asheshatah tvad-anyah samshayasyasya chetta na hy upapadyate
Meaning
O Krishna, You alone are able to completely dispel this doubt of mine. No one other than You is fit to cut away this doubt.
Understanding
Arjuna's plea is both humble and precise. 'Asheshatah' — completely, without remainder. Not partial answers but total dissolution of doubt. The word 'chetta' (cutter) is powerful: this is not a doubt to be soothed but to be cut. Arjuna explicitly states: 'tvad-anyah... chetta na hy upapadyate' — no one other than You is fit for this. This is not flattery; it is a recognition that the question concerns the ultimate destiny of a sincere soul, and only the Supreme can speak authoritatively on it. Spiritually, this verse models the correct posture of a student: approach the guru with the specific doubt, full surrender, and the recognition that certain questions can only be answered by the highest source. The doubt about what happens to an incomplete seeker is answered definitively in the very next verse (6.40) — 'there is no destruction for such a one, here or hereafter.'
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| संशयम् | samshayam | doubt, uncertainty, wavering |
| छेत्तुम् | chettum | to cut, to completely dispel, to destroy |
| अशेषतः | asheshatah | completely, without any remainder |
| त्वदन्यः | tvad-anyah | other than You, besides You |
| उपपद्यते | upapadyate | is fit for, is appropriate, is possible |
| एतत् | etat | this (my doubt) |
| मे | me | my / of me |
| कृष्ण | kṛṣṇa | O Krishna |
| अर्हसि | arhasi | you should / you are able (to dispel) |
| संशयस्य अस्य | samsayasya asya | of this doubt / of this uncertainty |
| छेत्ता | chettā | a destroyer / one who can dispel |
| न | na | not (no one else can dispel) |
| हि | hi | for / indeed |