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Chapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation · 78 verses

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Duty & actionChapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation
18.4518.47

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 18.46

Natural duties and perfection through work

यत: प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।

स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानव: ॥ ४६ ॥

yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ

yena sarvam idaṁ tatam

sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya

siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

Translation

By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, a man can attain perfection through performing his own work.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Worship Through Your Work

  1. 1By doing your own work as worship of the Lord, the source of all beings who is present everywhere, you can attain perfection.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that we are parts of the Lord and should serve Him in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Lord Himself delivers such devotees.
  3. 3Whatever your occupation, use the results of your work to worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 18, The Perfection of Renunciation: natural duties and perfection through work.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Act dutifully without attachment to fruits.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: karma, sva-dharma.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 18.46 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to duty & action?

Practice

Do one task today purely because it is right.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 18 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 18.41Natural duties and perfection through workBG 18.42Natural duties and perfection through workBG 2.47Responsibility without ownership of outcomesBG 3.21Leadership by example

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.