Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 56 (BG 18.56) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

18.56 सर्वकर्माणि all actions? अपि also? सदा always? कुर्वाणः doing? मद्व्यपाश्रयः taking refuge in Me? मत्प्रसादात् by My grace? अवाप्नोति obtains? शाश्वतम् the eternal? पदम् state or abode? अव्ययम् indestructible.Commentary Worshipping Me with the flowers of his good actions he reaches the imperishable Brahmic seat of ineffable splendour through My grace. He attains union with Me and enjoys the supreme bliss. If by chance he commits some prohibited actions? still? as in the Ganga (Indias most holy river) the waters of the drains and roads find union? so My devotee? becoming united with Me? is unaffected by these prohibited actions.Worship of the Lord through ones duties purifies the heart of the aspirant and prepares him for the devotion to knowledge which eventually leads him to the attainment of Selfrealisation. The Yoga of Devotion is eulogised here.All actions Good actions and even the prohibited actions. He who takes shelter in Me? Vaasudeva? the Lord? with his whole self centred in Me attains the eternal abode of Vishnu? by the grace of the Lord.

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

The wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is intensely vibrant and potent. Though it may appear simple and ordinary, this divine song of the Lord is like a reservoir of explosive power that can be detonated through proper knowledge. When one lives according to its teachings with warmth and dedication, that reservoir bursts forth. From its explosion, all the layers of ignorance that have accumulated upon the possibilities of a seeker's supreme and divine personality are shattered. According to the Gita, mere passive surrender or the performance of ritualistic ceremonies is not devotion. True devotion is the abandonment of the pride of doership and enjoyership, and the establishment of unity with the Supreme Self. Lord Sri Krishna also places special emphasis on the fact that a seeker must make every effort to live their knowledge and experience in practical life as well. According to Lord Sri Krishna's view, the perfection of dharma does not lie merely in detachment from objects and in self-realization alone. His firm conviction is that the wise person, after experiencing the Self, must return to the practical world and engage in action. Yet these actions must be perfumed with the peace and joy of self-realization, so that this dull and faded world becomes radiant and luminous. Therefore, in this verse, the description of one more essential quality necessary to become a supreme devotee is given. Without the credentials of selfless service to society, the Teacher of the Gita, Lord Sri Krishna, neither welcomes any devotee nor grants them His vision. His clear declaration is: the person who performs all actions while taking refuge in Me attains the eternal, imperishable state through My grace. It is only through the sentiment of offering to the Divine that the pride of doership can be abandoned. The seeker who fulfills their duty with this sentiment receives the grace—that is, the compassion—of the Divine. Apart from His grace, the Divine has no separate existence; the Divine Itself is grace, and His grace is Himself. Therefore, the attainment of grace means that to the extent the seeker's inner being becomes peaceful, pure, steady, and well-integrated, to that same extent the experience of the Supreme Self becomes clear. The Supreme Self is eternal and immutable. Therefore, the Lord says that the supreme seeker attains the eternal, imperishable state through His grace. In this section, Lord Sri Krishna has indicated the paths of knowledge, devotion, and action. The goal of all these is one: the seeker's experience of unity with the goal. The entire spiritual practice is the essence of the Gita's teaching. By practicing karma, bhakti, and jnana in an integrated manner, harmony is achieved in all three dimensions of our personality—physical, mental, and intellectual. The Gita offers instruction for the practice of karma yoga, bhakti yoga, and jnana yoga at the levels of body, mind, and intellect respectively. In this way, the Gita's teaching makes a principal contribution to establishing the individual—who is the witness, the mind, and the knower—in their true nature as the Self. The Gita holds an important place in the revival of the Upanishadic culture of the Hindus. Thus, after a systematic exposition of the practice of attaining Brahman, the teaching is given that—