The Yoga of Meditation

Krishna provides the reassuring answer to Arjuna's concern. 'Pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate'—O son of Pritha (pārtha), there is no (na eva) destruction (vināśaḥ) for him (tasya), neither here (iha) nor (na) in the next world (amutra). This means: Krishna reassures Arjuna—someone who tries sincerely, who has faith but fails, is never lost. There's no destruction, no loss, neither in this world nor the next. They're not lost like a broken cloud—their effort has value, their journey continues. 'Na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid durgatiṁ tāta gacchati'—O dear one (tāta), no one (kaścit) who does (kṛt) good (kalyāṇa) ever (na hi) goes to (gacchati) an evil destiny (durgatim). This means: anyone who does good—who practices sincerely, who has faith, who makes effort—never meets with an evil destiny. Their effort isn't wasted—it accumulates, it benefits them, it leads to good. This is the reassurance: no sincere effort is ever wasted, no one who does good is ever lost. Your effort has value, your journey continues, you're never lost.