Bhagavad-Gita: Chapter 6, Verse 40

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

Destruction in this world is caused by diminution due to failure to secure neither the goal of svarga or heaven nor the goal of moksa or liberation from material existence. Failure to accomplish one or the other results in a destructive situation in the hereafter. This means a hellish destination in the worlds after death in the next life. Lord Krishna answers the previous verse by assuring that for the righteous who perform virtuous activities it is not possible to ever have a destructive situation and hellish destination. This is due to the reality that one is on the path of righteousness by just commencing with faith the process of yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness. Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna by the word tata meaning dear one like He would be speaking to a family member.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Madhvacarya
There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

Lord Krishna is unconditionally confirming that there is no loss or diminution in their present life or in their next life for one who sincerely and earnestly engages themselves in yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness; but who later discontinues the practice due to weakness of mind and lack of dispassion. The word vinasas means destruction. It denotes forfeiture of material enjoyment in svarga loka or the heavenly planets and it also denotes the loss of spiritual accomplishments as well, both which an aspirant could have achieved. Destruction also infers the intervention of undesirable obstacles in the form of negative activities. But when one has performed even a little yoga in meditation one is automatically insured that there will be no diminution either in the present or in the future. How this is so is answered next.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

In order to dispel all doubts Lord Krishna answers this question by addressing Arjuna in a very affectionate way by use of the word tata meaning dear one. Then He confirms to him that there is no downfall or setback in the present life or in the next life for an aspirant of moksa or liberation from the material existence who has abandoned the path of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities for attaining heaven in exchange for the sake of cultivating meditation and atma tattva or realisation of the soul. Even if one fails to reach perfection due to digressing from the path by negligence in dispassion or lethargy in practice still there is no demerits or diminution because there was no hankering for rewards and thus no reactions to suffer. If a person is worshipping the demigods with a desire to obtain some rewards and does not get it, then that person has to accept a reaction anyway because they deviated from the path right from the very start. Hence in their present life they feel censure and infamy because the reward could not be gained to be enjoyed. But in the next life after death one must still receive the reaction for seeking to enjoy independently of the Supreme Lord regardless of receiving it or not and the reaction will not be pleasant in the next life maybe even taking a birth as an animal. It is like a thief who goes to the market to steal and get caught before getting away still the thief is bound to be punished for attempting the action without having succeeded. But this will never be the situation for one who begins the practice of yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness. One who treads the path of yoga and righteousness never meets with an inauspicious or evil destiny.

The word tata is derived from the word tan meaning to expand. One who expands himself further is known as tat and one who expands himself as the son is the father. Thus the father himself is tata expanding himself as the son. So both the father and the son are addressed as tata. As an analogy the disciple is also accepted as the son by the guru or spiritual master and thus the use of the word tata illustrates the extreme mercy the guru gives to the disciple as Lord Krishna is giving to Arjuna.