📿 Shloka Collection

Yam Imam Pushpitam Vacham

Gita 2.42 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 — Sankhya Yoga
यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः ।
वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः ॥
Yam imam pushpitam vacham pravadanty avipashchitah
Vedavadaratah Partha nanyad astiti vadinah
याम् इमाम्
this
पुष्पिताम् वाचम्
flowery speech
प्रवदन्ति
speak, proclaim
अविपश्चितः
the undiscerning, those lacking wisdom
वेदवादरताः
attached to the letter of the Vedas
पार्थ
O Partha
नान्यत् अस्ति इति
there is nothing else
वादिनः
those who declare

Krishna now turns to a subtle but important warning. Some people, he tells Arjuna, use beautiful, elaborate language to talk about the Vedas — flowery words that sound impressive and authoritative. They insist that the ritual portions of the Vedas are all there is, that nothing exists beyond them. They are, Krishna says plainly, lacking in discernment.

The key phrase is 'pushpitam vacham' — flowery speech. Flowers are attractive on the surface but have no nourishment in them. These speakers dress up their claims in ornate language, but their understanding stops at the surface. They know the letter of the text but miss the spirit behind it.

Krishna is not criticizing the Vedas. He is criticizing a particular mindset — the mindset that mistakes the map for the territory, that clings to rituals and promises of reward while missing the deeper teaching of self-knowledge and selfless action that the Vedas ultimately point toward.

Shlokas 2.42-2.44 form a connected passage describing those whose intellect is scattered (the 'bahushakha' minds of 2.41). Krishna paints a portrait of people who perform rituals enthusiastically but entirely for personal gain — heaven, power, pleasure.

The phrase 'pushpitam vacham' — flowery speech — has become a well-known metaphor in the Gita tradition for words that sound appealing but lack substance.

Chapter 2 · 42 / 72
Chapter 2 · 42 / 72 Next →