Verse 2.42
यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः ।
वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः ॥
Transliteration
yāmimāṃ puṣpitāṃ vācaṃ pravadantyavipaścitaḥ |
vedavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyadastīti vādinaḥ ||
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3
Translation
Flowery speech is uttered by the unwise, taking pleasure in the eulogising words of the Vedas, O Arjuna, saying, "There is nothing else."
From the owner's sheet · +1 more
Son of Pritha, the unwise speak flowery words, delighting in the letter of the Veda and declaring that there is nothing else.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08 · +1 more
Word by word
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08
Explanation
This verse begins a three-verse sentence describing a certain kind of religious attitude. Krishna speaks of the unwise who utter flowery speech, delight in the words of the Veda taken narrowly, and claim there is nothing beyond them. The criticism is aimed at a mindset that treats ritual reward as the whole of religion, not at the Vedas themselves, which the Gita respects elsewhere. Readers from different traditions understand the target in different ways, but all see a warning against mistaking means for ends.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08