मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु |
मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे || 65||
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣhyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ‘si me
mat-manāḥ—thinking of me; bhava—be; mat-bhaktaḥ—my devotee; mat-yājī—worship me; mām—to me; namaskuru—offer obeisance; mām—to me; eva—certainly; eṣhyasi—you will come; satyam—truly; te—to you; pratijāne—I promise; priyaḥ—dear; asi—you are; me—to me
Translation:
Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to me; prostrate before me; so shall you come to me only. This is My pledge to you, for you are dear to me.
Commentary:
This verse and the next one contain the essence of the Gita teaching. The Lord has already declared that he is now revealing the most profound secret out of love for his disciple.
In this verse and the next, the first part states the path of spiritual progress, and the last part declares the goal of spiritual life. Four types of spiritual discipline are pointed out here (1) Fixing the mind on God, (2) Devotion to God, (3) Performing sacrifice unto God. (4) Humble prostration to God. Such discipline leads to the highest realisation, namely, union with God.
Therefore those who seek knowledge should reject all the temptations of the flesh. They should fix their mind on God and love God with the same zeal and attraction as they feel for the objects of the senses. They should bow to God in utter humility. They should meditate on God with a full heart. The ignorant unfortunately run after sensual pleasures and distract their minds with a hundred petty desires and longings. They miss the way and are lost in darkness. They have strayed away from the path of true happiness. They cannot realise the bliss of union with God.
Sattyam te pratijane: The Lord clears the last trace of doubt from the mind of Arjuna by saying- “This is the truth; I pledge my word.” Rarely do we come across such open declarations from the Lord in the course of his teaching. One’s faith in the Lord’s teaching is doubled and redoubled, and he accepts the final words of the Lord with deep and unswerving faith, and attains liberation.
Manmanah bhava: All the four paths of spiritual progress are included in this verse (1) Action (Karma), (2) Devotion (Bhakti), (3) Meditation (Dhyana) (4) Knowledge (Jnana).
Question: What are the means of liberation?
Answer:
- Fixing the mind on God,
- Devotion to God,
- Performing sacrifices unto God,
- Humble prostration before God.
Question: On whom does the Lord bestow his grace?
Answer: On those who win his love by following the spiritual discipline with truth and sincerity.
Question: What is the result of such devotion to God?
Answer: They attain Liberation. This is the pledge of the Lord.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 🔻 (78 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
| 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
| 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
