Shloka 18.50
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे |समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ||१८-५०||
siddhiṃ prāpto yathā brahma tathāpnoti nibodha me . samāsenaiva kaunteya niṣṭhā jñānasya yā parā ||18-50||
Meaning
I will now state briefly how he, who has reached perfection, finds the Eternal Spirit, the state of Supreme Wisdom.
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
Krishna promises to summarize how the one who has attained perfection then reaches Brahman, the Absolute — described as the para nishtha, the supreme culmination of knowledge. He offers to compress this loftiest teaching samasena, in brief.
The verse marks a transition from the path to its goal. Having shown how selfless duty leads to perfection, Krishna now points beyond perfection to its final flowering: the realization of Brahman itself. That this highest knowledge can be stated concisely reflects a beautiful truth — the deepest realities are often simple at their core.
The following verses will trace, step by step, the inner discipline through which the perfected soul merges into the Eternal.
In daily life
Attaining perfection is not the end but the threshold to realizing the Absolute itself.
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What does ‘निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on self realization, in other chapters
- Verse 5.16Self-knowledge is like sunrise — it doesn't create truth, it simply dispels the darkness so reality shines clear.
- Verse 13.24Right understanding of self and nature liberates you wherever you stand — no special circumstance required.
- Verse 14.1The highest knowledge is not what you accumulate but what you realise — and it has already carried countless seekers to freedom before you.
- Verse 7.29The honest longing to transcend death, rooted in refuge in the Divine, opens into complete knowledge of Self and action.
Swipe left for 18.51 · Realizing the Absolute begins with a purified mind, disciplined will, and freedom from attraction and aversion.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.50
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.50, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.50, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.50 mean?
I will now state briefly how he, who has reached perfection, finds the Eternal Spirit, the state of Supreme Wisdom. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.50 for daily life?
Attaining perfection is not the end but the threshold to realizing the Absolute itself.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.50 mean?
सिद्धिं प्राप्तः — one who has attained perfection; यथा ब्रह्म — how Brahman; तथा आप्नोति — thus reaches; निबोध मे — learn from Me; समासेन एव — in brief.
Where does verse 18.50 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 50 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.51.