Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 65 (BG 18.65) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 18.65 After expounding the four essential qualities necessary for attaining the Divine, Lord Sri Krishna assures Arjuna: "You shall attain Me." When the principles of ultimate knowledge are presented in abbreviated form, they appear so simple that ordinary students do not endeavor to understand them with seriousness, or they dismiss them entirely. To prevent such error, Lord Sri Krishna emphasizes once more with special force, saying: "I give you My solemn word." The reason for repeated instruction is that you are dear to Me. In imparting spiritual wisdom, love is the only worthy purpose. Without love for the disciple, the teacher's instruction lacks both inspiration and joy. A merely commercial teacher is but a wage-earner. Such a teacher can neither inspire students nor experience within their own heart the fulfillment and joy that is the true reward of teaching. This verse, with slight variation, has appeared in an earlier chapter. Here the Lord explicitly declares that He is expounding pure truth alone. *Manmana bhava* — The function of mind is to form resolve. Therefore, this means: through your mind, resolve to attain Me alone. *Madbhakta* — The resolve to attain the Divine should not remain merely as resolve. It must be transformed into unwavering devotion. Therefore, become My devotee. *Madyaji* — Devotion is love itself. And where love exists, worship naturally follows. Since the Divine is the cause of all existence, the Divine pervades the entire universe. Therefore, to worship the Divine means to serve the world selflessly. Thus Lord Sri Krishna teaches, saying: Become My worshipper. *Mam namaskuru* — A person filled with pride and ego cannot bow with humility to anyone. "Bow to Me" — this instruction means to abandon the ego of doership and self-importance. To manifest the Divine's qualities, the seeker must possess abundance of humility, faith, and devotion. Like water, the flow of knowledge moves from higher to lower levels. Any seeker endowed with the devotion described in this verse becomes worthy of attaining the Divine. "You shall attain Me" — This is Lord Sri Krishna's solemn assurance. Sri Shankaracharya says: The supreme secret of karma yoga practice is the intellect of self-offering to the Divine. After concluding the discussion of this practice, it remains to describe the fruit of karma yoga — self-realization — which is the essence of all the Upanishads. Therefore the Lord speaks.