Bhagavad-gītā 18.71

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

श्रद्धावाननसूयश्च शृणुयादपि यो नरः ।
सोऽपि मुक्तः शुभाँल्लोकान्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यकर्मणाम् ॥७१॥

śraddhāvān anasūyaś ca
śṛṇuyād api yo naraḥ
so 'pi muktaḥ śubhāl lokān
prāpnuyāt puṇya-karmaṇām

Word for word (synonyms)

sraddhāvan
faithful
anasūyaḥ ca
and not envious
śṛṇuyāt
does hear
api
certainly
yaḥ
who
naraḥ
man
saḥ api
he also
muktaḥ
being liberated
śubhān
auspicious
lokān
planets
prāpnuyāt
attains
puṇya-karmaṇām
of the past

Translation

And one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reaction and attains to the planets where the pious dwell.

Purport

In the 67th verse of this chapter, the Lord explicitly forbade the Gītā's being spoken to those who are envious of the Lord. In other words, Bhagavad-gītā is for the devotees only, but it so happens that sometimes a devotee of the Lord will hold open class, and in that class all the students are not expected to be devotees. Why do such persons hold open class? It is explained here that although everyone is not a devotee, still there are many men who are not envious of Kṛṣṇa. They have faith in Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If such persons hear from a bona fide devotee about the Lord, the result is that they become at once free from all sinful reactions and after that attain to the planetary system where all righteous persons are situated. Therefore simply by hearing Bhagavad-gītā, even a person who does not try to be a pure devotee attains the result of righteous activities. Thus a pure devotee of the Lord gives everyone a chance to become free from all sinful reactions and to become a devotee of the Lord.

Generally those who are free from sinful reaction are righteous. Such persons very easily take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The word puṇya-karmaṇām is very significant here. This refers to the performance of great sacrifice. Those who are righteous in performing devotional service but who are not pure can attain the planetary system of the polestar, or Dhruvaloka, where Dhruva Mahārāja is presiding. He is a great devotee of the Lord, and he has a special planet which is called the polestar.

What this verse teaches

Benefits of hearing Bhagavad-gīta

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.