Gita for Life · Feelings
What does the Gita say about confusion and doubt?
5 passages of the Gita on this question. Each shows what the verse says, why it belongs here, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s explanation.
In short
Everyone feels lost sometimes; even Arjuna, the greatest archer of his time, did not know what to do. The Gītā shows the way out: admit your confusion, ask the right person, understand who you are and who Kṛṣṇa is, and then act with a clear mind.
Don’t hide your doubts. Bring them to Kṛṣṇa, and let His knowledge cut them.
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Even good people sometimes don’t know what to do
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo Bhagavad-gītā 2.6
What the verse says
Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa that he does not know which is better, conquering the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra or being conquered by them, for if he killed them he would not care to live. Just before this he asks how he could fight with arrows men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of his worship 2.4.
Read 2.6 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Nor do we know which is better—conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Arjuna could not decide whether to fight, which was his duty as a kṣatriya, or to give it up and live by begging, and he was not even sure who would win. Yet these very considerations, he says, show Arjuna’s greatness, not his weakness.
“All these considerations by Arjuna definitely prove that he was not only a great devotee of the Lord but that he was also highly enlightened”
Lesson
Being confused does not mean you are a bad or weak person. Often it means you care about doing what is right. The problem is not the question; it is staying stuck in it.
Example
A girl who has just finished Class 10 and is torn between the science stream her parents want and the commerce stream she likes is not foolish. She faces a real choice, and she needs real guidance.
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Admit you are confused, and ask for guidance
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ Bhagavad-gītā 2.7
What the verse says
Arjuna openly admits that he is “confused about my duty” and has lost his composure out of weakness. He asks Kṛṣṇa to tell him clearly what is best for him, and says: “Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.”
Read 2.7 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda compares life’s perplexities to a forest fire that blazes without anyone setting it. Since they come by themselves, he says, we should not remain in them but approach a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession.
“Similarly, the world situation is such that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion.”
Lesson
The turning point of the Gītā is a humble request. Arjuna stopped arguing and said, “Please instruct me.” Confusion begins to clear the moment we are honest about it and ask someone wiser.
Example
A new employee who pretends to understand every task makes mistake after mistake. The one who says, “I am not sure; could you show me?” learns quickly.
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Keep asking until it is clear
tad ekaṁ vada niścitya Bhagavad-gītā 3.2
What the verse says
Arjuna asks why Kṛṣṇa urges him into this ghastly war if He thinks intelligence is better than fruitive work 3.1. His intelligence is bewildered by what sound to him like “equivocal instructions”, so he asks Kṛṣṇa to tell him decisively what is most beneficial for him.
Read 3.2 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions. Therefore, please tell me decisively what is most beneficial for me.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa had no intention of confusing Arjuna; the many paths described in the previous chapter had simply not yet been put in order. By asking, Arjuna was clearing the way for every serious student of the Gītā.
“by his questions he is clearing the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for all students who seriously want to understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-gītā”
Lesson
A sincere question is not disrespect. If something you were taught seems to contradict itself, ask again, politely, until you understand. Your question may help others too.
Example
In class, one student finally raises her hand: “Sir, I didn’t understand this step.” Half the class breathes a sigh of relief; they had the same doubt.
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Ask someone who has seen the truth
tad viddhi praṇipātena Bhagavad-gītā 4.34
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master, inquiring from him submissively and rendering service to him. Such a self-realized soul can impart knowledge “because he has seen the truth.”
Read 4.34 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda says that mental speculation and dry arguments cannot help us progress in spiritual life; we must receive knowledge from a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession. He rejects both blind following and absurd inquiries: we should ask, and also hear and serve with humility.
“Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding.”
Lesson
Not every opinion is guidance. When life’s big questions trouble you, go to someone who lives by the Gītā, not to someone who only tells you what you want to hear, and ask with humility.
Example
To learn swimming, you go to a swimming teacher, not to someone who has only read about water. For questions about the soul and God, go to someone who has truly lived the answers.
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Know who you are, and the deepest confusion lifts
dhīras tatra na muhyati Bhagavad-gītā 2.13
What the verse says
As the soul passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age, so at death it passes into another body. The self-realized soul “is not bewildered by such a change.”
Read 2.13 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a person who has perfect knowledge of the individual soul, the Supersoul and nature, both material and spiritual, is called dhīra, a most sober person.
“Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies.”
Lesson
Much of our confusion comes from thinking we are only this body, with all its fears of loss, age and death. Kṛṣṇa begins His answer to Arjuna by teaching him that he is an eternal soul. From there, many choices become simpler.
Example
A traveller who knows where home is does not panic when the road changes. A soul who knows he is eternal does not lose his bearings when circumstances change.
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Honest questions help; endless doubt destroys
saṁśayātmā vinaśyati Bhagavad-gītā 4.40
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says that ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness, and that for the doubting soul there is happiness “neither in this world nor in the next.”
Read 4.40 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that those who have no faith and are always doubtful make no progress at all. The remedy is to follow the scriptures with faith, in the footsteps of the great ācāryas in the disciplic succession.
“One should therefore follow the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and thereby be raised to the platform of knowledge.”
Lesson
Asking in order to understand is very different from doubting in order never to commit. The first leads to knowledge; the second leaves you restless everywhere. Give the Gītā a sincere try, with faith, and let your understanding grow.
Example
A patient who keeps changing doctors and never finishes any medicine stays ill. Healing begins when he trusts a good doctor and follows the treatment.
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Cut doubt with knowledge, then stand up
chittvainaṁ saṁśayaṁ yogam Bhagavad-gītā 4.42
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that the doubts which have arisen in his heart out of ignorance should be slashed “by the weapon of knowledge.” Armed with yoga, he should stand and fight.
Read 4.42 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bhārata, stand and fight.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda says that one who doubts the authority of Kṛṣṇa falls back, and advises us to study the Gītā under a bona fide spiritual master, with service and surrender. Ignorance, he explains, is removed step by step.
“Ignorance can be removed by gradual acceptance of the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Lesson
Knowledge is not only for thinking; it is for acting. Once a doubt has been answered, don’t keep reopening it. Take the next right step, and keep learning as you go.
Example
A student who has cleared her doubts about a chapter with her teacher should now sit down and solve the problems, not keep rereading the same page out of fear.
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Think it through fully, then choose
yathecchasi tathā kuru Bhagavad-gītā 18.63
What the verse says
Having explained the most confidential of all knowledge, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to deliberate on it fully, and then to do what he wishes to do.
Read 18.63 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that God does not interfere with our little independence. The best advice, he says, is to surrender to the Lord, but before surrendering one is free to think it over, as far as one’s intelligence goes.
“Before surrendering, one is free to deliberate on this subject as far as the intelligence goes; that is the best way to accept the instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Lesson
The Gītā does not ask for blind obedience. Hear carefully, think deeply, and then decide. A choice made with understanding stays firm when difficulties come.
Example
Before a big step, such as accepting a job in another city, a sensible person hears from elders, weighs it honestly and then decides, instead of putting it off for ever or deciding in a panic.
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With Kṛṣṇa, doubt gives way to firm action
sthito ’smi gata-sandehaḥ Bhagavad-gītā 18.73
What the verse says
At the end of the Gītā Arjuna says that his illusion is gone and he has regained his memory by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy; he is now “firm and free from doubt” and prepared to act according to Kṛṣṇa’s instructions. Earlier too, having heard Kṛṣṇa’s confidential teachings, he had said that his illusion was dispelled 11.1.
Read 18.73 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
Arjuna said, My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that after hearing the Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna understood that Kṛṣṇa was not only his friend but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he took up his bow again to fight as Kṛṣṇa desired.
“When a person is in full knowledge, he naturally surrenders to Kṛṣṇa.”
Lesson
The same Arjuna who put down his bow in confusion picks it up again with confidence. Nothing outside had changed; his understanding had. When Kṛṣṇa is at the centre of your decisions, you can act without being torn apart inside.
Example
A boat tied to a strong post does not drift with every wave. A heart fixed on Kṛṣṇa does not swing with every doubt.
Doubt or clarity? Two ways to face confusion
| When doubt rules | When knowledge guides | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “I don’t know what to do, so I’ll do nothing.” | “I don’t know yet, so I’ll ask someone who does.” | 2.7 |
| “Asking questions will make me look foolish.” | “Sincere questions clear the path.” | 3.2 |
| “I’ll follow whatever feels right today.” | “I’ll hear from someone who has seen the truth.” | 4.34 |
| “What if I lose everything?” | “I am an eternal soul; what I really am cannot be lost.” | 2.13 |
| “I can’t trust anything.” | “I’ll follow the Gītā with faith and let my understanding grow.” | 4.40 |
| “I’ll wait until I am completely sure.” | “Once a doubt is answered, I take the next step.” | 4.42 |
| “I have to work it all out alone.” | “I act as Kṛṣṇa wants, and He guides me.” | 18.73 |
Our reflections, each based on the verse named beside it.
Ask yourself
- When I am confused, do I admit it and ask for help, or do I hide it?
- Whom do I take my doubts to: someone who agrees with me, or someone who knows the truth and lives by it?
- Are my questions sincere, to understand, or a way to avoid what I already know I should do?
- Which of my worries would change if I remembered that I am an eternal soul?
- Once something is clear, what stops me from acting on it?
The essence
Confusion is where the Gītā begins, not where it ends. Ask humbly, hear from Kṛṣṇa and from those who truly know Him, and the doubt that holds you back becomes the clarity that moves you forward.
The headings, explanations, lessons, examples, table and questions are ours, written to help you apply the verses. The Sanskrit lines, the verse translations and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quoted words are from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is as published on vedabase.cc, unaltered.
All the verses for this topic
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Bhagavad-gītā 2.4–6
Arjuna said: O killer of Madhu [Kṛṣṇa], how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of my worship?
Show the other 2 verses of 2.4–6
It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our spoils will be tainted with blood.
Bhagavad-gītā 2.5 Nor do we know which is better—conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.
Bhagavad-gītā 2.6 Why this verse is here
Arjuna’s further doubts and confusion
From the study outline of the chapter
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 2.4
Respectable superiors like Bhīṣma the grandfather and Droṇācārya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Kṛṣṇa ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sāndīpani Muni? These were some of the arguments by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa.
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Bhagavad-gītā 3.1–2
Arjuna said: O Janārdana, O Keśava, why do You urge me to engage in this ghastly warfare, if You think that intelligence is better than fruitive work?
Show the other 1 verses of 3.1–2
My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions. Therefore, please tell me decisively what is most beneficial for me.
Bhagavad-gītā 3.2 Why this verse is here
Arjuna’s Confusion – ‘Renunciation or Action?’
From the study outline of the chapter
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 3.1
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa has very elaborately described the constitution of the soul in the previous chapter, with a view to deliver His intimate friend Arjuna from the ocean of material grief. And the path of realization has been recommended: buddhi-yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious by chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. But without being trained in the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not advisable to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in a secluded place where one may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 4.40
But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.
Why this verse is here
Doubting mentality (4.40 ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca...)
From the thematic compilation How to Receive Knowledge
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 4.40
Out of many standard and authoritative revealed scriptures, the Bhagavad-gītā is the best. Persons who are almost like animals have no faith in, or knowledge of, the standard revealed scriptures; and some, even though they have knowledge of, or can cite passages from, the revealed scriptures, have actually no faith in these words. And even though others may have faith in scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā, they do not believe in or worship the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Such persons cannot have any standing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They fall down. Out of all the abovementioned persons, those who have no faith and are always doubtful make no progress at all. Men without faith in God and His revealed word find no good in this world, nor in the next. For them there is no happiness whatsoever. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 2.13
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
Why this verse is here
A sober person is not bewildered by such a change (2.13 dehino 'smin yathā dehe...)
From the thematic compilation Death
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 2.13
Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is sure to have another body in the next birth—either material or spiritual—there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, neither for Bhīṣma nor for Droṇa, for whom he was so much concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to one's work in life. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 11.1–4
Arjuna said: I have heard Your instruction on confidential spiritual matters which You have so kindly delivered unto me, and my illusion is now dispelled.
Show the other 3 verses of 11.1–4
O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the appearance and disappearance of every living entity, as realized through Your inexhaustible glories.
Bhagavad-gītā 11.2 O greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see here before me Your actual position, I yet wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours.
Bhagavad-gītā 11.3 If You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that universal self.
Bhagavad-gītā 11.4 Why this verse is here
Arjuna requests Kṛṣṇa to show His universal form
From the study outline of the chapter
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 11.1
This chapter reveals Kṛṣṇa as the cause of all causes. He is even the cause of the Mahā-Viṣṇu, and from Him the material universes emanate. Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation; He is the source of all incarnations. That has been completely explained in the last chapter.
Everyday questions answered by these verses
Related topics
Each verse is linked to this topic by a statement in our primary study source, shown under “Why this verse is here”. The verses and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words are quoted from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, unaltered.