aśhraddadhānāḥ puruṣhā dharmasyāsya parantapa
aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛityu-samsāra-vartmani
aśhraddadhānāḥ — people without faith;
puruṣhāḥ — (such) persons;
dharmasya — of dharma;
asya — this;
parantapa — Arjun, conqueror the enemies;
aprāpya — without attaining;
mām — me;
nivartante — come back;
mṛityu — death;
samsāra — material existence;
vartmani — in the path
This verse is saying that if people don’t have faith, they won’t be able to connect with God through devotion. When they don’t connect with God, they will continue to be stuck in the cycle of life and death, which means they will keep being born, living, and dying without reaching a peaceful state or liberation from suffering.
To understand this better, think about how important faith is in any relationship or task. For example, if you are trying to learn something new, but you don’t believe in your ability to learn or in the value of what you’re learning, you might give up easily. Similarly, in the journey of spirituality, if someone lacks faith, they will struggle to really engage in worship or devotional practices, which are designed to help them connect with God.
Developing faith often comes from surrounding yourself with supportive and like-minded people. When we spend time with those who have strong beliefs in God or spiritual practices, it can inspire us and strengthen our own faith. However, there are also people who may hear teachings about God but still have doubts. They find it hard to fully dedicate themselves to serving God because they are unsure or skeptical.
True faith, as mentioned in the teachings, means having a strong belief that by serving God, you can find complete happiness and perfection. This is very important if one wants to succeed on this spiritual path.
There is a comparison made in the teachings that can help clarify this concept: imagine watering the root of a tree. When you do that, all parts of the tree, like the branches and leaves, receive nourishment. Similarly, when we serve God, all other aspects of our life are taken care of. It’s like when we eat food, which nourishes our entire body. By focusing on serving God, we also help ourselves and others around us automatically. This shows how everything is interconnected in a beneficial way when we follow this spiritual path with faith.
In short, this verse emphasizes that faith is key to spiritual progress. Without it, people are likely to keep returning to the struggles of life, rather than moving toward a higher, more peaceful existence.