Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingTranslation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaFor those whose minds are attached to the Unmanifested, the struggle is greater; for the Goal, which is the Unmanifest, is attained with difficulty by the embodied ones.
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
परन्तु उन अव्यक्त में आसक्त हुए चित्त वाले पुरुषों को क्लेश अधिक होता है, क्योंकि देहधारियों से अव्यक्त की गति कठिनाईपूर्वक प्राप्त की जाती है।।
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from VaamshiiWord by word
padārthaMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnA“Greater is the toil (kleśo’dhikataraḥ) of those whose minds are set on the Unmanifest; for the goal of the Unmanifest is reached with difficulty by the embodied.” Here is the whole reason. To love and hold a formless Absolute, the mind — which is built to grasp forms — has almost nothing to take hold of. It is like trying to embrace the sky. The path is not wrong, but it is arduous and, for most, discouraging. The embodied being, tied to sense and image, finds a face far easier to love than a void. The Gītā is being kindly realistic about human psychology.