Fallen from both paths, does he not perish like a torn cloud, O mighty-armed one—without any footing, bewildered on the path to Brahman?
Explanation
Arjuna is asking Krishna about a person who begins the path of yoga (spiritual discipline) with faith but loses focus before succeeding. He worries that such a person has lost both worldly rewards and spiritual progress, and so may vanish like a torn cloud that drifts apart and fades. Brahman here means the ultimate reality; commentators differ on whether the 'two paths' mean worldly action and renunciation, or worldly life and liberation.