Shloka 3
Bhakti–Akṣara-Upāsanā-Viveka
Devotion to the Personal vs. Contemplation of the Imperishable
१८) “जिनके अश्रित भक्तोंका आश्रय लेकर किरात
bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ | yat te ’haṁ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ||
Whoever truly knows Me as unborn, without beginning, and as the great Lord of the worlds—such a person, undeluded among mortals, is wise and is released from all sins.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames the next instruction as a renewed, ‘supreme’ teaching given out of affection and for Arjuna’s welfare—signaling that profound knowledge may need repetition and a different presentation to be fully assimilated.
At the start of the Vibhūti-yoga section, Kṛṣṇa resumes speaking to Arjuna, promising to restate and expand the doctrine—now emphasizing divine excellences—because Arjuna is dear to Him and stands to benefit spiritually and ethically amid the war’s crisis.