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अर्जुन उवाच अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः। अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति।।

Arjuna uvāca ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāc calita-mānasaḥ aprāpya yoga-saṁsiddhiṁ kāṁ gatiṁ kṛṣṇa gacchati

arjunaḥ (Arjuna) uvāca (said) ayatiḥ (the unsuccessful transcendentalist) śraddhayā (with faith) upetaḥ (engaged) yogāt (from the mystic link) calita (deviated) mānasaḥ (who has such a mind) aprāpya (failing to achieve) yoga-saṁsiddhim (the highest perfection in yoga) kām (which) gatim (destination) kṛṣṇa (O Kṛṣṇa) gacchati (attains)

Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the destination of the unsuccessful transcendentalist, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization with faith but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?

Arjuna asks about the fate of the ‘spiritual failure’. He describes a person who begins the path of self-realization with faith, but who later becomes distracted by worldly habits and fails to reach perfection before they die. He wants to know what happens to such a soul. Arjuna is worried about the risk involved in spiritual life. He thinks: “If I give up my worldly duties to pursue yoga, but then I fail at yoga, won’t I have lost everything?” He sees it as a high-stakes gamble. If he doesn’t win the ‘spiritual jackpot’, is he just a total loser who wasted his life? This is a common fear for many seekers. We worry that if we aren’t ‘perfect’, our efforts will be in vain. Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa to reveal the safety net of spiritual life. He wants to know if God has a plan for those who try their best but fall short of the final goal.