Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 25 (BG 5.25) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

5.25 लभन्ते obtain? ब्रह्मनिर्वाणम् absolute freedom? ऋषयः the Rishis? क्षीणकल्मषाः those whose sins are destroyed? छिन्नद्वैधाः whose dualities are torn asunder? यतात्मानः those who are selfcontrolled? सर्वभूतहिते in the welfare of all beings? रताः rejoicing.Commentary Sins are destroyed by the performance of Agnihotra (a daily obligatoyr ritual) and other Yajnas (vide notes on verse III. 13) without expectation of their fruits and by other selfless services. The duties vanish by constant meditation on the nondual Brahman. He never hurts others in thought? word and deed? and he is devoted to the welfare of all beings as he feels that all beings are but his own Self. (Cf.XII.4)

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

When a person of mastered senses engages in meditation, they wash away all the sinful desires of the mind that have veiled the true nature of the self and have given rise to countless doubts concerning truth. As the mind becomes purified, the direct experience of the self becomes naturally established. With the dawning of self-knowledge, ignorance in the form of veiling and distraction is utterly dissolved, and one becomes established in one's true nature. Having attained the highest summit of spiritual development—the state of abiding in the self—what is the duty of the wise person until the body is laid aside? The common notion is that such a person will wander through the world like one distracted, or like a stone statue, eating once a day at most and roaming about. People regard such a person as a burden upon society. Yet the Vedas prescribe no such goal of living death for humanity, nor have the sages ever striven to attain such a state. Self-realization is not a sorrowful journey slowly moving toward a divinely appointed grave, but rather a joyful pilgrimage to the palace of truth. This truth is the self-evident nature of the individual soul itself, from which ignorance of it has caused the soul to wander far from its own being. The wise person established in the experience of the self dedicates their entire life to dispelling the self-ignorance of all beings and revealing the glory of the self. This is indicated in the words of the Blessed Lord through the phrase "devoted to the welfare of all beings." This service to the world is both the self-determined work and the delight of such a person. While dedicating themselves to the service of all through their various roles, the wise person remains established in their own pure nature. The Blessed Lord continues: