Ashraddadhanah Purushah

After praising this knowledge in 9.1 and 9.2, Krishna adds a word of caution. Those who lack faith in it never reach him. They keep circling through the rounds of birth and death.

Faith here does not mean blind belief. It means willingness — a readiness to explore this knowledge with an open mind. A doctor's medicine works only if the patient takes it. The medicine is available, but without trust, the patient walks away unchanged.

The word 'nivartante' — they return — carries quiet gravity. Not a punishment, but a natural consequence. Without openness, the teaching cannot take root.

This shloka balances the exalted praise of 9.1 and 9.2. There, Krishna said this knowledge is supreme. Here, he names the one condition for receiving it: shraddha.

The Kathopanishad tells a similar story. Even Yama, the lord of death, reveals the ultimate secret only to Nachiketa — a boy who asks with patience and trust.