कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा ।
कच्चिदज्ञानसम्मोहः प्रणष्टस्ते धनञ्जय ॥
kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā |
kaccid ajñāna-saṁmohaḥ pranaṣṭas te dhanaṁjaya ||
(Bhagavad-gītā: 18.72)
“O Pārtha, has this [i.e., the Gītā] been heard by you with a one-pointed mind? O Dhanañjaya, has your misunderstanding born of ignorance been fully dispelled?”
Commentary
evaṁ śāstraṁ tad-vācanādi-māhātmyaṁ coktam | atha śāstrārthāvadhāna-tad-anubhavo pṛcchati kaccid iti | praśnārthe’vyayam | samyag-anubhavānudaye punar apy etad upadekṣyāmīti bhāvaḥ |
(Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā)
“In this way the greatness of śāstra, its recitation, and so forth have been indicated. Now he [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] asks about [Arjuna’s] attentiveness to the meaning of the śāstra and understanding thereof. ‘Kaccit’ is an indeclinable with the sense of questioning. ‘If complete understanding did not arise [i.e., if you did not fully understand], then I will teach this [to you] again.’ This is the purport.”
By asking if Arjuna has listened with a one-pointed mind, Kṛṣṇa implies that one will not come to understand śāstra without studying it with full attention, and by asking if Arjuna’s misunderstanding has been dispelled, Kṛṣṇa implies that one should continue to inquire until no trace of misunderstanding or doubt remains, and that a teacher should both inquire to ensure a student has properly understood, and be ready to continue teaching the student until no trace of any misunderstanding or doubt remains.