Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 55 (18.55)

Reflective Prompt:

What does taking complete refuge in the Divine (Sharanagati) mean in your daily life?

▪ Option 1: Mentally dedicating all my work to the Divine, trusting that grace will handle the outcomes.
▪ Option 2: Surrendering only when in deep trouble, while claiming all credit during good times.
▪ Option 3: Giving up all efforts and waiting lazily for God to solve all my problems.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 55 (18.55)

भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः । ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् | | १८-५५ | |

bhaktyā māmabhijānāti yāvānyaśhchāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśhate tadanantaram Learnings from Shlokas 49-55: The path of Karmayoga, or selfless action, together with Devotion.

Word-by-word guide:

Line 1:

भक्त्या (bhaktyā) — भक्ति से(by devotion)
माम् (mam) — मुझे(Me)
अभिजानाति (abhijānāti) — जानता है(knows)
यावान् (yāvān) — जितना(how much)
यः (yah) — और मैं क्या हूं(and what I am)
c joined in yāvānyaśhchāsmi
अस्मि (asmi) — और मैं क्या हूं(and what I am)
तत्त्वतः (tattvataḥ) — तत्त्व से(in truth)

Line 2:

ततः (tatah) — तब(then)
माम् (mam) — मुझे(Me)
तत्त्वतः (tattvataḥ) — तत्त्व से(in truth)
ज्ञात्वा (jnatvā) — जानकर(having known)
विशते (viśhate) — प्रवेश करता है(enters)
तत् (tad) — वह(that)
a joined in tadanantaram
न (na) — नहीं(not)
ntaram joined in tadanantaram

Line 3:

learnings joined in Learnings
from joined in from
slo joined in Shlokas
कः (kah) — कौन(who)

Line 4:

te joined in The
pat joined in path
of joined in of
कः (kah) — कौन(who)
माम् (mam) — मुझे(Me)
यः (yah) — और मैं क्या हूं(and what I am)
ga joined in Karmayoga
or joined in or
selfless joined in selfless
action joined in action
togeter joined in together
v joined in with
इति (iti) — इस प्रकार(thus)
devotion joined in Devotion

English: By such devotion, he sees Me, who I am and what I am; and thus realising the Truth, he enters My Kingdom.

💡 Commentary Note

Through supreme devotion, a person understands the true nature of God. Knowing this truth, they enter into union with the Divine.

### Shlokas 56-66 **The path of Karmayoga, or selfless action, together with Devotion.**

Learnings from Shloka 55:

Perfect Freedom:: By detaching the intellect and controlling the mind, one attains the state of actionlessness, entering the highest wisdom.
The Sage's Lifestyle:: The seeker of truth enjoys solitude, eats lightly, controls speech, body, and mind, and stays absorbed in meditation and detachment.
Union Through Devotion:: Renouncing ego, power, pride, anger, and possessiveness leads to absolute peace. In this state of serene oneness, supreme devotion is realized, by which one knows the Divine in truth.

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