What is the destination of one who fails to achieve atma tattva or realisation of the soul, due to inability to cultivate dispassion and practice of meditation? Where does one end up who in the very beginning was endowed with firm faith and practice but later due to weakness of mind, cessation of practice and attraction to sense gratification was unable to achieve realisation? This is the meaning of the question submitted to Lord Krishna.

The word ayatih means one who does not earnestly endeavour.

Now begins the summation.

The special meaning Lord Krishna is giving is denoted by the word ayatih or one who does not endeavour by the regulated practice of meditation or contrarily one who abstains from the practise of meditation that was already begun. The words aprapya yoga-samsiddhim mean without achieving the complete potential of yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with ultimate consciousness. Although for the word yoga there is the established meaning, perfection in meditation is the inferred meaning here. Thus failure in perfecting meditation is not contradictory.

Now the question arises. What happens to a practitioner of yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness who becomes established in yoga with firm faith experiencing some realisations but later in life due to negligence and lethargy in their practices fail to achieve perfection in yoga? This could also be due to being unable to control the mind and thus incapable of controlling the senses with their passions. Such an aspirant although practising and endowed with faith does not have by the potency to maintain the process and therefore the mind is diverted into pursuing the objects of the senses and thus deviated from yoga at the crucial time of death. What will such a persons destination be who like this fails to reach the goal of moksa or liberation after commencing the yoga in life. This is the question being beseeched for Lord Krishna to answer.