This scripture, told by Me for your good, for the cutting off of transmigration, is not to be told to one without austerity, one devoid of austerity. Even to one with austerity, if he is without devotion, devoid of devotion toward teacher and toward God, it is never, in any condition, to be told. And to one who, though with austerity and devotion, has no wish to listen, it is not to be told. Nor is it to be told to one who reviles Me, who, taking Me, Vasudeva, to be an ordinary man, does not bear with Me, foisting on Me the faults of self-praise and the like, not knowing My godhead; he too is unfit. So it follows by implication that the scripture is to be told to one who is free of reviling toward the Lord, who has austerity, who is devoted, who wishes to listen. Since, in the words 'to the wise or to the man of austerity', the two are given as alternatives, it is to be told to a man of austerity who is joined with the wish to listen and with devotion, or to a wise man so joined. To one without the wish to listen and without devotion it is not to be told, neither to the man of austerity nor to the wise. To one joined with reviling toward the Lord it is not to be told, even though he have every other quality. To one possessed of the wish to serve the teacher and of devotion it is to be told. This is the rule for the handing down of the scripture. Now the Lord states the fruit for him who hands it down.

This supreme secret, this scripture, has been declared to you by Me; it is not to be told to one without austerity, to one who has practised no austerity; it is not, on your part who would tell it and on Mine, to be told ever to one without devotion; even to one who has practised austerity, but is without devotion, it is not to be told. This is the meaning. Nor to one who does not wish to listen; even to a devotee, if he does not wish to listen, it is not to be told. Nor to one who cavils at Me, who, when My own form, My lordship, and My qualities are told, sets forth a fault in them; to him it is not to be told. The shift in grammatical case is meant to make known that he is utterly to be avoided.

This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.

Madhvacharya does not comment on this verse.