Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 68 (BG 18.68) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 18.68 In this verse under consideration, the Blessed Lord Sri Krishna offers praise to the teacher who imparts knowledge. That teacher who can expound the true meaning of the knowledge taught in the Gita and inspire the listeners to embrace Sri Krishna's way of life—such a one is the supreme instructor. Whether the defects be internal or external, their destruction is the paramount principle of the Blessed Lord Sri Krishna. To propagate a culture built upon such a powerful principle, mere scholarship alone is insufficient. Rather, the teacher must also possess the capacity that Sri Krishna embodies. Therefore, He honors the supreme teacher with reverence. Those seekers who carry within them a profound spiritual thirst to live a complete and powerful life find the Bhagavad Gita especially compelling and meaningful. Thus it is said here: this supremely secret knowledge should be imparted to such devotees. Devotion means unity with the ideal. Those devotees who establish harmony with the way of life taught in the Gita and fashion their own lives accordingly are worthy recipients of this knowledge. If the disciple must be endowed with the devotion of spiritual practice, then the teacher must necessarily be endowed with supreme devotion—the highest form of devotion. Such a teacher, established in Brahman, who imparts true knowledge to worthy disciples, shall undoubtedly attain Me. A well-educated person feels himself indebted to the goddess of knowledge because of his sense of gratitude. In truth, our culture calls this the debt to the sages. To free ourselves from this debt, we must study the teachings of the sages, conduct ourselves accordingly, and transmit the knowledge we have received through teaching. This is our duty. Philosophy is the foundation of every culture. The revival and glorious re-establishment of Hindu culture will be possible only when it is nourished by the knowledge of truth as expounded in the Upanishads. The great sages, the founders of our culture, understood this secret. Therefore, they have always urged their disciples to propagate this knowledge. Only through this means can the hearts of ordinary people be illumined by the light of wisdom. This is also the principal instrument for the advancement of culture. If a student understands even a fraction of this knowledge and culture but makes no effort to spread it, this signifies that he lacks both the dynamism of intellect and the fluidity of inspiration. But the person who is capable of teaching the principles of the Gita—him do we celebrate here, and to him do we offer the assurance of the highest reward: he shall undoubtedly attain Me.