Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया ।
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा ॥५३॥
nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā
na dānena na cejyayā
śakya evaṁ-vidho draṣṭuṁ
dṛṣṭavān asi māṁ yathā
Word for word (synonyms)
- na
- never
- aham
- I
- vedaiḥ
- by study of the *Vedas*
- na
- never
- tapasā
- by serious penances
- na
- never
- dānena
- by charity
- na
- never
- ca
- also
- ijyayā
- by worship
- śakyaḥ
- is it possible
- evam-vidhaḥ
- like this
- draṣṭum
- to see
- dṛṣṭavān
- seeing
- asi
- you are
- mām
- Me
- yathā
- as
Translation
The form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one can see Me as I am.
Defined in the Gītā
Charity
What is charity in goodness?
That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa first appeared before His parents Devakī and Vasudeva in a four-handed form, and then He transformed Himself into the two-handed form. This mystery is very difficult to understand for those who are atheists or who are devoid of devotional service. For scholars who have simply studied Vedic literature by way of speculation or out of mere academic interest, Kṛṣṇa is not easy to understand. Nor is He to he understood by persons who officially go to the temple to offer worship. They make their visit, but they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. Kṛṣṇa can be understood only through the path of devotional service, as explained by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the next verse.
What this verse teaches
Rarity of seeing Kṛṣṇa’s humanlike form
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.