Bhagavad Gita 6.37 · Arjuna
What if I try and fail?
अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः।
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति॥
ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāccalitamānasaḥaprāpya yogasaṃsiddhiṃ kāṃ gatiṃ kṛṣṇa gacchati
Krishna, what happens to one who has faith but not enough discipline, whose mind slips from yoga before reaching its goal?
Words
- yoga
- śraddhā
What it means
Arjuna asks a deeply human question. What about the person who sincerely believes, who has shraddha, faith, but isn't disciplined enough? Their mind wanders from yoga. They never reach perfection. What becomes of them? Is all their effort wasted?
The story
Arjuna is asking for himself. He's just admitted his mind is like the wind. Now he wonders, if I try and don't succeed, have I lost everything? It's the fear of every beginner.
In your life
Think of someone who started meditating, stopped, started again, and wonders if any of it counted. It's a fair fear. Ask it honestly. Krishna's answer is one of the kindest in the Gita.
Even the fear of failing is worth voicing.