Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 18, Verse 63
Verse 63
The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation
Thus I have declared to you the knowledge that is more secret than all secrets. Reflect on this completely, then do as you wish.
Context & Meaning
A remarkable moment: having delivered the most secret and sacred knowledge — guhyād guhyataram — Krishna does not command. He says: reflect on this completely, and then do as you wish. This is the Gita's most explicit statement of the primacy of human freedom. The teaching has been given in its fullness; the understanding has been offered. But the choice belongs entirely to Arjuna. This is not indifference — Krishna cares profoundly about what Arjuna chooses. It is respect: the highest teaching can be given, can be shared with infinite love and clarity — but it cannot be imposed. Each person must receive it freely, reflect on it genuinely, and choose from that reflection.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainMadhvacharya
DvaitaYathecchasi tathā kuru — do as you wish. The Dvaita tradition reads this not as divine indifference but as the ultimate expression of divine respect for the soul's freedom. Vishnu does not coerce devotion; devotion must be freely given to be genuine devotion. The knowledge has been shared — guhyād guhyataram, more secret than the secret — and now Arjuna must decide for himself. The Dvaita insight is that this moment of free choice is itself a divine gift: the ability to choose freely is part of the soul's inalienable God-given dignity. The teacher has done everything possible; the student must now do the rest.