Shloka 18.46
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् |स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ||१८-४६||
yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṃ yena sarvamidaṃ tatam . svakarmaṇā tamabhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ ||18-46||
Meaning
Man reaches perfection by dedicating his actions to God, Who is the source of all being, and fills everything.
Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Here Krishna unveils how ordinary work becomes the path to perfection. The Supreme is the source from whom all beings arise and the presence by whom the whole universe is pervaded. By performing one's own duty as an offering of worship to that Reality, a person attains perfection.
This is the heart of karma yoga as devotion. Work need not be abandoned for prayer; work itself becomes prayer when offered to the Divine that fills all things. The plough, the sword, the ledger, the act of service — each turns sacred when done as worship. Thus the most mundane labor, consecrated by this inner offering, leads as surely to liberation as the deepest meditation.
In daily life
Offer your everyday work as worship to the Divine, and that work itself becomes your path to perfection.
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Quick check
What does ‘सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 2.47Give your best to every action, but release your grip on the results — this is the formula for both excellence and inner peace.
- Verse 6.31Once rooted in oneness and devotion, you abide in the Divine through every activity of daily life.
- Verse 7.16Whatever motive first turns you toward the Divine — pain, curiosity, or need — is a valid and welcomed beginning.
- Verse 9.14A devoted life is built from constant small acts of remembrance and reverence, woven steadily into the whole of one's days.
Swipe left for 18.47 · Doing your own true work imperfectly beats flawlessly performing a path that was never yours.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.46
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.46, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.46, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.46 mean?
Man reaches perfection by dedicating his actions to God, Who is the source of all being, and fills everything. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.46 for daily life?
Offer your everyday work as worship to the Divine, and that work itself becomes your path to perfection.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.46 mean?
यतः प्रवृत्तिः भूतानां — from whom all beings have arisen; येन सर्वम् इदं ततम् — by whom all this is pervaded; स्वकर्मणा — by one's own duty; तम् अभ्यर्च्य — worshipping Him; सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः — a person attains perfection.
Where does verse 18.46 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 46 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.47.