Verse 18.67

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 18.67:

इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन ।
न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति ॥ ६७ ॥

idaṃ te nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana |
na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṃ na ca māṃ yo'bhyasūyati || 67 ||

idam–this Bhagavad-gītā; te–by you; na–nor; atapaskāya–with uncontrolled senses; na–not; abhaktāya–to a non-devotee; kadācana–at any time; ca–also; aśuśrūṣave–to one who is devoid of a service mentality; vācyam–be spoken; na–not; ca–and; mām–of Me; yaḥ abhyasūyati–one who is envious.

You should never explain this scripture of Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā to one whose senses are uncontrolled, to a non-devotee, to one devoid of a serving mood, or to one who is envious of Me.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Thus, having completed His instructions on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, Śrī Bhagavān elaborates on the rules by which a sampradāya is to continue. In other words, He delineates the criteria by which one can ascertain who is qualified to receive these instructions. One whose senses are not under control is called atapaska. Smṛti states, “Control of the mind and the senses is the highest penance.”

The instructions of the Gītā should not be imparted to a non-devotee, even if his senses are controlled. Nor should they be given to a devotee who may be self-controlled but not interested in submissively hearing (aśuśrūṣu). “A person may be self-controlled, he may be a devotee, and he may hear submissively, but if he is envious of Me, he is not qualified for the Gītā’s message. ‘Māṃ yo’ bhyasūyati–I am the Supreme Absolute Truth and transcendental to all material designations.’ If he considers Me to be one with māyā and My existence to be illusory and temporary, then this message of the Gītā must never be given to him in any way.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

In the present verse, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is establishing the necessary qualification to hear the instructions of the Gītā. The tattva of the Gītā should never be instructed to those who are envious of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who consider His transcendental form to be illusory, who are devoid of bhakti to guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, who do not render any service to them, and who have no control over their senses. None of these people are qualified to receive the Gītā’s instructions. Although unable to fully realize the essence of Kṛṣṇa’s instruction, they still narrate the Gītā in an unauthorized manner to unqualified persons, thinking that this is a symptom of their magnanimous and compassionate nature, but this is in direct disobedience to Kṛṣṇa’s order. As a result, such persons become offenders.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself very clearly understands how harmful it is to give this knowledge to an unqualified person, for such an ignorant person cannot grasp this knowledge or retain it. Some people may challenge this, saying that in regard to imparting religious instruction, it lacks compassion to consider another’s qualification or disqualification. But it is seen that good results only manifest in a qualified recipient, thus invalidating the above argument. An unqualified person may receive these instructions but disobey them. Thus he becomes an offender and even more fallen.

Once, the king of the demigods, Indra, and the chief of the demons, Virocana, went to Lord Brahmā to receive instruction on the truth of the soul, ātma-tattva. Brahmā instructed Indra, who was a qualified recipient of absolute knowledge and able to comprehend it. Virocana, however, was unqualified and therefore not able to understand Brahmā’s instructions. He concluded that his self was his gross body only and to maintain it is the goal of life. In this way, Virocana remained bereft of true knowledge of the Truth (tattva-jñāna).

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.23) also states:

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāh prakāśante mahātmānaḥ

The conclusive essence of the Śrutis is only revealed to those great souls who have supreme, transcendental devotion to Śrī Bhagavān and equal devotion to śrī gurudeva.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava in a similar way:

naitat tvayā dāmbhikāya nāstikāya śaṭhāya ca
aśuśrūṣor abhaktāya durvinītāya dīyatām

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.30)

You must never give this knowledge to persons who are proud, atheistic, wicked, faithless, devoid of bhakti or unsubmissive.

The Padma Purāṇa also says, “aśraddhadhāne vimukhe py aśṛṇvati yaś copadeśaḥ śiva-nāmāpārādhaḥ–one who gives this instruction to a person who is faithless and averse to Bhagavān causes him to become an offender; it does not benefit him.”