Chapter IX · Śloka 30
अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् ।
साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ॥
साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ॥
api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk |
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ||
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ||
Even if the most wicked of wrongdoers worships Me with undivided devotion, he is to be regarded as righteous, for he has resolved rightly.
The most radical declaration in the chapter: the direction of the will matters more than the history of the deed. One who turns utterly toward the Lord has made the decisive choice; past evil does not nullify a present wholehearted surrender.