Chapter 6, Verse 45
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः | अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ||६-४५||
prayatnādyatamānastu yogī saṃśuddhakilbiṣaḥ . anekajanmasaṃsiddhastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||6-45||
Meaning
6.45 But the Yogi who strives with assiduity, purified of sins and perfected gradually through many births, reaches the highest goal.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna brings this reassuring passage to its triumphant conclusion. The yogi who strives prayatnat — with sustained, earnest effort — life after life becomes samshuddha-kilbisha, thoroughly purified of all sins and impurities. The accumulated practice of aneka-janma, many births, gradually washes the soul clean, and at last he attains the param gatim — the supreme goal, the highest destination.
The phrase 'perfected through many births' frames the entire spiritual journey with patience and grandeur. Liberation may not come in a single lifetime, and Krishna gently sets that expectation, but it comes with absolute certainty to the one who keeps striving. There is no rush and no waste; every life adds to the purification until the work is complete. This is the perfect answer to Arjuna's fear: not only is no effort lost, but persistent effort across lifetimes guarantees the ultimate attainment. The path is long but sure, and the patient, sincere seeker is destined to arrive.
💡 Key Takeaway
Persistent striving across lifetimes purifies the soul completely and surely leads to the supreme goal.
Related Verses
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः | उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये ||६-१२||
tatraikāgraṃ manaḥ kṛtvā yatacittendriyakriyaḥ . upaviśyāsane yuñjyādyogamātmaviśuddhaye ||6-12||
6.12 There, having made the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practise Yoga for the purification of the self.
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः | शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति ||६-१५||
yuñjannevaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī niyatamānasaḥ . śāntiṃ nirvāṇaparamāṃ matsaṃsthāmadhigacchati ||6-15||
6.15 Thus always keeping the mind balanced, the Yogi, with the mind controlled, attains to the peace abiding in Me, which culminates in liberation.
तं विद्याद् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम् | स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा ||६-२३||
taṃ vidyād duḥkhasaṃyogaviyogaṃ yogasaṃjñitam . sa niścayena yoktavyo yogo.anirviṇṇacetasā ||6-23||
6.23 Let that be known by the name of Yoga, the severance from union with pain. This Yoga should be practised with determination and with an undesponding mind.