Like a broken cloud

kaccinnobhayavibhraṣṭaśchinnābhramiva naśyatiapratiṣṭho mahābāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi

Fallen from both, mighty-armed one, does such a person vanish like a torn cloud, without a footing, lost on the path to Brahman?

What it means

Arjuna uses a haunting image. A small cloud torn from a big one, drifting, dissolving into nothing. Might the failed seeker be like that? They've given up worldly goals, but haven't reached Brahman, the infinite. Neither here nor there. Lost in between.

The story

Arjuna has a lot to lose. He's a prince, a warrior, a husband, a father. If he follows Krishna's path and falls short, will he lose both his worldly life and his spiritual one?

In your life

Picture someone who left a stable career for a creative dream, and now fears they'll end up with neither. That fear is real. Name it out loud. Then listen to the answer that follows.