Verse 9.3

अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा धर्मस्यास्य परन्तप। अप्राप्य मां निवर्तन्ते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि।।9.3।।

aśhraddadhānāḥ puruṣhā dharmasyāsya parantapa aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛityu-samsāra-vartmani

Meaning

Those who aren't feeling this Dharma, Parantapa, are stuck in this world, never reaching me.

Commentary

Okay, so Arjuna's like, 'Yo, Lord, why don't people, like, *try* to achieve this self-knowledge thing? It's, like, the easiest, best, most beneficial thing ever! Everyone should totally do it!' And the Lord's all, 'My dude, people are just not vibing with this Dharma stuff, so they're stuck in this endless cycle of death and rebirth. Even if they try to manifest it or whatever, they won't reach me unless they follow the right path, you know?'. Dharma is, like, the rules, religion, self-knowledge, the whole shebang. This faith isn't just some head-nodding agreement; it's a deep, unshakeable belief that only self-knowledge brings ultimate peace, immortality, and bliss. Think of Sankara, who was so committed, he ditched his mom to learn from his guru. Buddha was the same; he was all, 'I ain't moving until I get enlightened!' It's all about that fire, that determination. The Lord first hyped up self-knowledge (positive vibes), then showed what happens if you *don't* get it (negative vibes). Verses 1 and 2 were all about the good stuff you get from self-knowledge, while verse 3 is about the total bummer of not getting it. Basically, greedy, lusty, sinful peeps who are all about the material world and don't believe in self-knowledge? They're not reaching me. They lack devotion, and they're stuck in this cycle of death, leading to hell and, like, being reincarnated as a worm or something.