Shloka 18.55
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः |ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ||१८-५५||
bhaktyā māmabhijānāti yāvānyaścāsmi tattvataḥ . tato māṃ tattvato jñātvā viśate tadanantaram ||18-55||
Meaning
By such devotion, he sees Me, who I am and what I am; and thus realising the Truth, he enters My Kingdom.
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 now crowns his teaching: it is by bhakti, devotion, that one truly knows Him — what He is and who He is in His essence (tattvatah). And having known Him in truth, one enters into Him, merging with the Supreme.
This verse reveals devotion as the master-key. All the analysis of gunas, action, and renunciation finds its consummation here: knowledge ripens into love, and love alone grants the deepest knowing of God. The progression is exquisite — devotion leads to true knowledge of the Divine, and that knowledge leads to entry into the Divine.
Loving the Lord is thus not a lesser path for the simple but the very summit, where the seeker and the Sought become one.
In daily life
It is through wholehearted devotion that one truly knows the Divine and finally enters into it.
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What does ‘विशते तदनन्तरम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on union, in other chapters
- Verse 13.19Understanding these truths with a devoted heart, not just a sharp mind, is what lifts you into the Divine.
- Verse 11.54Only wholehearted, single-minded devotion opens the path to truly know, see, and unite with the Divine.
- Verse 14.26Unwavering devotion to the Divine carries you beyond Nature's qualities more surely than struggle ever could.
- Verse 15.19To truly know the Supreme is to love and worship Him with your whole heart.
Swipe left for 18.56 · Even amid ceaseless activity, taking refuge in the Divine brings, by grace, the eternal imperishable state.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.55
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.55, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.55, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.55 mean?
By such devotion, he sees Me, who I am and what I am; and thus realising the Truth, he enters My Kingdom. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.55 for daily life?
It is through wholehearted devotion that one truly knows the Divine and finally enters into it.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.55 mean?
भक्त्या — by devotion; माम् अभिजानाति — he knows Me; यावान् यः च अस्मि तत्त्वतः — what and who I am in truth; ततः — thereafter; मां तत्त्वतः ज्ञात्वा — having known Me in truth.
Where does verse 18.55 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 55 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.56.