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Chapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation · 78 verses

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Bhakti & surrenderChapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation
18.4918.51

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 18.50

Purification, realization and knowing Krishna by bhakti

सिद्धिं प्राप्‍तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्‍नोति निबोध मे ।

समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ॥ ५० ॥

siddhiṁ prāpto yathā brahma

tathāpnoti nibodha me

samāsenaiva kaunteya

niṣṭhā jñānasya yā parā

Translation

O son of Kuntī, learn from Me how one who has achieved this perfection can attain to the supreme perfectional stage, Brahman, the stage of highest knowledge, by acting in the way I shall now summarize.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

The Highest Perfection

  1. 1The Lord will summarize how one who has achieved perfection can reach Brahman, the stage of highest knowledge.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that doing one’s duty for the Supreme Lord and giving up its results for His satisfaction leads to self-realization. Knowledge reaches perfection in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  3. 3Perform your duty for the Supreme Lord’s satisfaction, giving up the results of your work for Him.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 18, The Perfection of Renunciation: purification, realization and knowing krishna by bhakti.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Loving service and surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: bhakti, śaraṇāgati.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 18.50 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to bhakti & surrender?

Practice

Offer one act today with devotion.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 18.49Purification, realization and knowing Krishna by bhaktiBG 18.51Purification, realization and knowing Krishna by bhaktiBG 3.30Offer every action to KrishnaBG 6.47The highest yogi is devoted

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.