Chapter 6: Dhyana Yoga, verse 42
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम्।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ॥
Say itatha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham
Translation
Or he is born in a family of even the wisest of yogis; verily, such a birth is very difficult to obtain in this world.
Swami Sivananda
Or, he is born in the family of wise yogis. Such a birth is indeed more difficult to come by in the world.
Swami Gambirananda
Follows the commentary of Shankara (Advaita).
Or he is born into a family of wise yogis. But such a birth in this world is rare.
Swami Adidevananda
Follows the commentary of Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita).
Or, he is born nowhere else but in the family of the intelligent men of Yoga; for, this birth is more difficult to obtain in the world.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Follows the commentary of Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism).
Or, he may be born in the family of wise sages, though such a birth is indeed very difficult to obtain.
Shri Purohit Swami
अथवा (वैराग्यवान्) योगभ्रष्ट ज्ञानवान् योगियोंके कुलमें ही जन्म लेता है। इस प्रकारका जो यह जन्म है, यह संसारमें बहुत ही दुर्लभ है।
Swami Ramsukhdas
अथवा, (साधक) ज्ञानवान् योगियों के ही कुल में जन्म लेता है, परन्तु इस प्रकार का जन्म इस लोक में नि:संदेह अति दुर्लभ है।
Swami Tejomayananda
Classical commentariesFor deeper study. Most are in the original Sanskrit.
Advaita
Non-dual: the self and the absolute are one.
Vishishtadvaita
Qualified non-dual: souls are real parts of the divine.
Dvaita
Dual: the soul and God are eternally distinct.
Shuddhadvaita
Pure non-dual, centred on grace and devotion.
Kashmir Shaivism
The Gita read through Trika Shaiva philosophy.
Modern teachers
20th-century teachers writing for today's readers.