Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 73 (BG 18.73) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

At verse 18.73, Arjuna acknowledges that his delusion has been destroyed. Through the words "My memory has been restored," it is shown that his liberation from delusion did not come merely from accepting the Lord's teaching through blind faith alone. Rather, it has come through knowledge acquired by thorough reflection and understanding. The heroic spirit within him has awakened, and his state of bewilderment has ended. When we fully comprehend the true purpose of the Bhagavad Gita's philosophy, only then does the awakening of knowledge occur within us, and we are able to recognize our true nature. Completeness is none other than our essential self. We need not obtain it through the intervention of external forces across different places or times. Solely due to ignorance do we regard ourselves as individual beings and suffer pain and affliction. Even while experiencing the sufferings of the individual state, we are in truth the complete atman. Therefore, the only necessity is right knowledge of the self. The atman is an eternally present reality. When humanity's divine nature awakens, the animal nature within is transcended. In the state of incomplete knowledge, the mind generates countless doubts—sorrow, delusion, fear, despair, weakness, and more. Now, because Arjuna possesses complete knowledge, he has become free from doubt. From the perspective of self-knowledge, upon re-examining and re-evaluating the battlefield, he encounters no difficulty in determining his duty. He makes a clear declaration of his resolve: "I shall follow your command." Sri Krishna, as the atman itself, is expressed in the form of pure intellect. Therefore, all seekers must abandon their ego and always follow the decisions of their own pure intellect. This is both the beginning and the culmination of spiritual life. Here the Bhagavad Gita scripture comes to its conclusion. Now, offering praise to the Gita's teacher and the Gita itself, and relating the connection to the narrative of the Mahabharata...