Shloka 18.51
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च |शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च ||१८-५१||
buddhyā viśuddhayā yukto dhṛtyātmānaṃ niyamya ca . śabdādīnviṣayāṃstyaktvā rāgadveṣau vyudasya ca ||18-51||
Meaning
Guided always by pure reason, bravely restraining himself, renouncing the objects of sense and giving up attachment and hatred;
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 begins his concise description of how the perfected soul reaches Brahman. The first steps: a thoroughly purified intellect, the self governed by steady firmness, the sense-objects of sound, touch, and the rest relinquished, and the twin pulls of raga and dvesha — attraction and aversion — decisively cast aside.
This is the inner housecleaning that precedes the highest realization. A clear mind, disciplined will, freedom from sensory craving, and equanimity beyond like and dislike together prepare the ground. None of these are mystical feats; they are the practical, cultivable foundations of the contemplative life. The verse begins a flowing portrait — continued in the next — of the seeker who is making themselves fit to merge in the Eternal.
In daily life
Realizing the Absolute begins with a purified mind, disciplined will, and freedom from attraction and aversion.
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What does ‘शब्दादीन् विषयान्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on purity, in other chapters
- Verse 4.21Action done with a disciplined mind, free of expectation and possessiveness, leaves no stain on the soul.
- Verse 17.16The deepest discipline is an inner one — cultivate a calm, kind, self-mastered mind with pure intentions, and right speech and action follow.
- Verse 3.41Master desire at its earliest stage in the senses, before it captures your mind and reasoning — it is far easier to check an impulse than an obsession.
- Verse 6.36Yoga eludes the undisciplined but is fully attainable through self-control, sincere striving, and the right methods.
Swipe left for 18.52 · Solitude, moderation, restraint, and steady meditation prepare the mind to realize the Eternal.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.51
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.51, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.51, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.51 mean?
Guided always by pure reason, bravely restraining himself, renouncing the objects of sense and giving up attachment and hatred; (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.51 for daily life?
Realizing the Absolute begins with a purified mind, disciplined will, and freedom from attraction and aversion.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.51 mean?
बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तः — endowed with a pure intellect; धृत्या आत्मानं नियम्य च — controlling the self by firmness; शब्दादीन् विषयान् — objects such as sound and the rest; त्यक्त्वा — relinquishing; रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च — and casting away attraction and aversion.
Where does verse 18.51 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 51 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.52.