Why can the envious not understand the Gita’s knowledge?  – When Krishna states that the Gita’s knowledge is not meant for the envious (09.01), why is he keeping that knowledge inaccessible from them?

He isn’t; their very envy makes the Gita’s knowledge inaccessible to them. The sun doesn’t make itself inaccessible to those who have closed their eyes; by closing their eyes, they themselves have cut off their access to the sun. 

The knowledge that Krishna refers to in this section is not just abstract knowledge about life’s spiritual side or even conceptual understanding of our spiritual essence. It is concrete knowledge about the glories of the supreme spiritual reality, the all-attractive divinity, Krishna. Such knowledge is about how glorious, personable and lovable he is. To appreciate this knowledge, hearers need to have a basic appreciation of Krishna or at the very least a favorable inclination toward the conception of a personal divinity. 

If, however, they see themselves as competitors to such a divinity, if they wish to themselves be the greatest and the best, if they resent the very idea of anyone being so great as to put them out of competition, then they will not find the glories of Krishna palatable; to the contrary, they may well find such glories highly unpalatable. If they are forced to hear such glories, they will feel annoyed, irritated, enraged. And such emotions may over time transmogrify into an aggressive antipathy toward divinity, which can impel them into offensive words and deeds that can mar their spiritual prospects in the future, not just in this lifetime but also in many future lifetimes. 

That’s why for their own good, Krishna indicates that they not be told about the Lord’s glories by those who otherwise delight in sharing his glories with others.

One-sentence summary: 

By stating that knowledge of his glories is not meant for the envious, Krishna is not depriving them; he is protecting them. 

Think it over: 

  • What knowledge is meant to be kept away from the envious?
  • What happens if the envious hear Krishna’s glories?
  • How is Krishna the benefactor of even the envious?

***

09.01: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.

Why can the envious not understand the Gita’s knowledge?

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