A core teaching · calming in mood · a little context helps
“Sincere effort toward the good cannot end in ruin.”
Krishna said: O Partha, there is no destruction for him either here or hereafter. No one who does good ever comes to a bad end, my dear.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallythe Blessed One said · O Partha · not at all · here · not · in the other world · destruction · of him · there is · indeed not · one who does good · anyone · bad end · my dear · goes
A person who does good practice does not lose everything. Even if progress feels interrupted, that effort is never destroyed and never leads to a bad end.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 40 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You finally start therapy, meditation, or a hard apology, then stumble and feel you ruined everything. This verse says the effort still counts; one setback does not erase sincere movement.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from fear of failure to trust in continued effort.
What this verse means
A person who does good practice does not lose everything. Even if progress feels interrupted, that effort is never destroyed and never leads to a bad end.
Context & commentary
Arjuna has asked what happens to someone who starts yoga but falls short. Krishna answers on the battlefield of Kurukshetra: even a failed seeker is not destroyed. A sincere step toward the good cannot end in loss.
Why this verse still matters
You finally start therapy, meditation, or a hard apology, then stumble and feel you ruined everything. This verse says the effort still counts; one setback does not erase sincere movement.
“You can keep going without fear that honest effort will be wasted.”
Explore related themes: dhyana yoga (13 verses)