This summary is about five verses of the Gita (Gita 9.30–34), the ones that close the ninth chapter. The ninth chapter is called the royal knowledge, meaning knowledge that is the highest and yet meant for everyone.

On the path of devotion this is the eighth stop. The stop before it is A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water, which spoke of the smallest offering. The stop after it is The Ladder of Devotion.

The question here is a hard one. If a person has done a great deal of wrong in life, is it too late to turn to the Lord? The mind says: with what face can I go to Him now?

The answer in one sentence

The Lord looks at a person not by the record of the past but by the resolve of today. Even a person of very bad conduct, if he worships with undivided devotion, is to be regarded as righteous, because he has resolved rightly (Gita 9.30). Such a person quickly becomes a soul of dharma and reaches lasting peace. The Lord says that His devotee never perishes (Gita 9.31). Birth or station is no obstacle on this way either (Gita 9.32).

But this promise is not a licence, because a change of conduct goes along with it. The chapter ends on a call: fix your mind on Me, and bow to Me (Gita 9.34).

The setting

Just before this, the Lord says that He accepts even a small offering of a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water. He is equal to all beings (Gita 9.29). Where there is no partiality, nobody's way can be closed in advance. That is why the chapter ends by placing this very point on the hardest example.

The verses in order

Verse 9.30: Bad conduct does not stop the turning

The first thing to notice is the word "even". The Lord does not say that this person is not really bad. He begins by granting that the conduct is very bad indeed. So the promise is given on the hardest case.

The second thing is "undivided devotion". It means that the devotion is whole and no other support is kept. And the person is worshipping now, so this is a statement about the present.

The third thing is the reason. The Lord says he has resolved rightly. The judgment rests on this resolve, not on his earlier conduct.

Verse 9.31: Quickly righteous

This verse holds two promises. The first is that he quickly becomes righteous, which means his conduct begins to change. The second is that he reaches lasting peace. Notice that the verse does not say he is righteous. It says he becomes so. That is the answer to the question why this promise does not excuse bad conduct.

Why does conduct change? Behind wrongdoing lies the pull of desire and anger (Gita 3.36–37). Devotion places a second pull in front of it. The seventh chapter says the same: those whose wrong has come to an end worship the Lord with firm resolve (Gita 7.28).

Then the Lord has Arjuna declare that His devotee never perishes. This does not mean that no hardship will come. It means that the way and the goal are never lost. Two nearby verses agree. A person who strives for the good never comes to a bad end (Gita 6.40). And on this path even a beginning is not wasted (Gita 2.40).

It is worth remembering that even a person who turns to the Lord in distress is not counted as having a lesser devotion. Of the four kinds of devotees the first is the one in trouble (Gita 7.16), and the Gita says that all of them are noble (Gita 7.18). Whatever the reason for turning, the turning itself is the real thing.

Nor is this road new. Many people, freed from attachment, fear and anger, have taken refuge in the Lord, been purified and reached Him (Gita 4.10). So it is not an impossible task.

Verse 9.32: No obstacle of birth or class

In the society of that time, some people were regarded as low: those of despised birth, women, traders and workers. The Lord says that they too, taking refuge in Him, reach the highest goal. The verse does not come to accept that ranking. It comes to remove every obstacle from the way. No birth and no station stands in the path.

Two other verses can be read with it. The wise see one self in a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste (Gita 5.18). And the Lord Himself is equal to all (Gita 9.29).

Verse 9.33: What then of the virtuous?

If all these people can reach the Lord, it is even easier for the virtuous devotee, whether a brahmin or a royal sage. The purpose is not to fix anyone's rank. It is to remove doubt. The one with merit should not think there is a separate road for him. And the one without merit should not think this road is closed to him.

Then the Lord calls out that this world is passing and without lasting joy, so having come into it, worship Me. This is not despair. It is waking up. A person does not rest the whole of life on what does not last.

Verse 9.34: The Gita's own steps

Here the Lord says four things: fix your mind on Me, be My devotee, worship Me, and bow to Me. Mind, feeling, action and body are all included. Then He says that thus joining yourself to Me, and holding Me as your highest refuge, you will come to Me.

These same four things return in the eighteenth chapter (Gita 18.65), where one more sentence is joined to them: "You are dear to Me."

This demand is not made under pressure. In that chapter the Lord says: having thought it over fully, do as you wish (Gita 18.63). And He gives the reason: you are dear to Me (Gita 18.64). The call comes with love, and the choice stays with the one who hears.

The deeper meaning of "with the whole mind"

The second chapter says that a resolute understanding is one, while the understanding of the irresolute is many-branched and endless (Gita 2.41). Half-hearted devotion is like that. One day the mind goes to the Lord, the next day to an old habit, and the third day to some other support. "Resolved rightly" is the opposite. It is one direction, repeated every day.

What the promise says and what it does not

The verses say that a person of very bad conduct can worship. They do not say that his conduct is not bad.

They say that one who turns with the whole mind is to be regarded as righteous. They do not say that a half-hearted or showy turning will do.

They say that he quickly becomes righteous. They do not say that everything is done in that very moment.

They say that birth and station are no obstacle. They do not say that the Gita approves of the ranking.

And they say that the devotee does not perish. They do not say that no hardship will come into his life.

The Gita's answer to the fear of wrong

This fear is present in the Gita from the start. In the first chapter Arjuna says that killing these people would bring only sin (Gita 1.36). The answer comes at the end, where the Lord says: do not grieve (Gita 18.66). And between the two stand these verses, which show that even one who is truly full of wrong has a way open.

For the weight of guilt, the sixth chapter gives a very useful line (Gita 6.5). It says: lift yourself by yourself, and do not let yourself sink, for the mind is both friend and enemy. Endless self-blame makes the mind an enemy. Turning to the Lord is the first step towards making it a friend.

The fourth chapter gives the same assurance: the boat of knowledge carries even the greatest sinner across (Gita 4.36). And in the eighteenth chapter the Lord says: leave every other refuge and come to Me alone, and I will free you from all wrong (Gita 18.66). A separate piece, "The Final Counsel", takes that up.

The real obstacle is ego, not the record. The Lord says that if you fix your mind on Me you will cross every difficulty, but if you do not listen out of ego you will be lost (Gita 18.58). One who did wrong but turned with humility stands ahead of a good person who thinks himself above it and listens to no one.

There is also a guard. One who sets aside the way laid down in the scriptures and acts on his own whim gains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal (Gita 16.23). So this is not a promise of leave to do as one likes.

Four common misunderstandings

The first misunderstanding is: do anything now, and worship later. But the verse speaks of becoming righteous. One who keeps devotion apart from conduct has not yet made the turn complete.

The second is: he was good already. But "even" means the conduct really was bad. The Lord does not call it good. He counts the resolve.

The third is: this is only for the pure. The whole weight falls on the opposite, since the promise is given on the hardest case.

The fourth is: quickly means in that very moment. The verse says "becomes", and becoming takes time. Quickly means the pace is fast. It does not mean that all that was done is wiped away.

"With what face?": the Gita's answer

The answer begins with this: what is needed is not a face but a turning. A person cannot set everything right first, but he can say one sentence: "I turn towards You." The turning comes first, and the mending follows behind it.

A small form of this can be lived in one day. In the morning, once, let the mind rest on Him. During the day, offer one task to Him. The ninth chapter says that offering cuts the bonds of good and bad results (Gita 9.27, Gita 9.28). In the evening, make one bow. And at night, whatever went wrong, name it and set it before Him.

Questions people ask

Why does the verse say "even"? Is devotion not for the good? Devotion is for everyone. "Even" puts the hardest case in front by name, so that nobody counts himself outside. What is true for this person is surely true for all the rest.

Does "regard him as righteous" mean that what was done is wiped out? There are two things here. One is to regard him as righteous, which is a way of seeing. The other is that he becomes a soul of dharma, which is a change of conduct. Freedom from all wrong is promised in the eighteenth chapter (Gita 18.66). The way of repair is to offer one's actions after the turning (Gita 9.27), and to let the marks of a devotee show in behaviour, such as friendliness in place of hatred (Gita 12.13–14).

If the devotee does not perish, why does he suffer? Perishing means losing both the way and the goal. It does not mean that no pain will come. Even a little of this practice protects from great fear (Gita 2.40).

The Lord is equal to all, so why say "My devotee"? He is the friend of all without any motive (Gita 5.29). Those who worship with devotion are in Him and He is in them (Gita 9.29). Nothing rises or falls on the Lord's side. The one who turns is the one who comes near.

Must a person fulfil all the marks of a devotee from the start? No. The picture in the twelfth chapter (Gita 12.13–14) is a direction, not a condition for turning. A separate piece, The Devotee Dear to the Lord, takes it up in full.

Explain it in thirty seconds

If a person has done a great deal of wrong, is it too late for him? The ninth chapter answers: even a person of very bad conduct, if he worships with undivided devotion, is to be regarded as righteous, because he has resolved rightly (Gita 9.30). He quickly becomes righteous and reaches lasting peace, and the Lord's devotee never perishes (Gita 9.31). Birth, class or past life is no obstacle (Gita 9.32). But this is not a licence. Conduct changes, and the turning must be with the whole mind. The real obstacle is not the record but ego (Gita 18.58). So in place of "with what face", say one sentence: "I turn towards You." And the call is the same: fix your mind on Me, and bow to Me (Gita 9.34).