A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“A fallen practitioner is not lost; the next birth can restart the work.”
Or he is born into the family of wise yogis. Such a birth is very rare in this world.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyor · of yogis · indeed · in the family · is born · this · indeed · more rare · in the world · birth · which · of this kind
A person who falls from yoga may be born into a family of wise practitioners. That kind of birth is very rare.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 42 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You feel like you wasted years after a relapse, a failed attempt, or a broken routine. The path is not erased; the next good environment can carry you forward again.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from seeing failure as loss to seeing it as a delayed continuation of practice.
What this verse means
A person who falls from yoga may be born into a family of wise practitioners. That kind of birth is very rare.
Context & commentary
Krishna is reassuring Arjuna after describing the yogi who slips from practice. The one who has not finished the path does not vanish; that person may return in a family shaped by wisdom and discipline, where practice can continue.
Why this verse still matters
You feel like you wasted years after a relapse, a failed attempt, or a broken routine. The path is not erased; the next good environment can carry you forward again.
“Even a setback can place you closer to renewal than you think.”