There are those persons who are qualified to understand the Shastras and decide for themselves what is My doctrine, and follow them accordingly; there are others who are full of faith in the meaning of the Shastras without however practising it. And there are still others who, even though devoid of faith, do not cavil at it, saying that the true meaning of the Shastras cannot be this, i.e., they do not find any blemish pertaining to the Shastras which possess great qualities. All these persons are freed from Karmas which are there from beginningless time and which cause bondage. By the term, api (even) in ‘te’ pi karmabhih’ (‘even they from Karmas’), these men are divided into three groups. The meaning is that those who, even if they do not act upon the meaning but still believe in this meaning of the Shastras and do not cavil at it, will be cleansed of their evil by their faith and freedom from fault finding. For, if they have faith they will, before long, take to the practice of this very meaning of the Shastras and be freed.

Shri Krishna now speaks of the evil that will befall those who do not practise this instruction of the Upanishads, i.e., those who are faithless and who cavil at it.