न वेदयज्ञाध्ययनैर्न दानैर्न च क्रियाभिर्न तपोभिरुग्रैः ।एवंरूपः शक्य अहं नृलोकेद्रष्टुं त्वदन्येन कुरुप्रवीर ॥
na vedayajñādhyayanairna dānairna ca kriyābhirna tapobhirugraiḥ |evaṃrūpaḥ śakya ahaṃ nṛlokedraṣṭuṃ tvadanyena kurupravīra ||
Not by the Vedas, by sacrifices, by study, by gifts, by rituals, or by severe austerities can I be seen in this form in the world of mortals by anyone other than you, O hero of the Kurus.
Explanation
Krishna has just shown Arjuna his cosmic universal form (viśvarūpa) and tells him how rare this vision is. No amount of Vedic learning, sacrifice (yajña), charity, ritual or austerity (tapas) can earn it by itself. Many commentators take this to mean the vision comes through Krishna's grace, with devotion (bhakti) as the means, as the next verses suggest, but the verse itself only says these outward practices do not suffice.