Shloka 18.66
Key verseKrishna speaks to Arjuna
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज |अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ||१८-६६||
sarvadharmānparityajya māmekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja . ahaṃ tvāṃ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣyayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ ||18-66||
Meaning
Give up then thy earthly duties, surrender thyself to Me only. Do not be anxious; I will absolve thee from all thy sin.
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
This is the charama shloka, the Gita's culminating verse and supreme promise. Abandon all dharmas — all dependence on your own efforts and prescriptions — and take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.
After chapters detailing duty, knowledge, and discipline, Krishna reveals the final secret: complete surrender. This does not negate duty but transcends it, replacing anxious self-reliance with total trust in the Divine. The tender closing words, ma shuchah, 'do not grieve,' answer the very sorrow with which Arjuna began the Gita.
The whole dialogue thus comes full circle: from Arjuna's despair to Krishna's promise that surrender brings liberation and the end of all grief.
In daily life
Surrender wholly to the Divine, release anxious self-reliance, and trust completely that grace will free you.
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What does ‘माम् एकं’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on refuge, in other chapters
- Verse 7.14You cannot out-think illusion with the very mind it deludes — but wholehearted refuge in the Divine carries you across.
- Verse 15.4After releasing what binds you, seek refuge in the eternal source from which all life flows.
- Verse 12.7Fix your mind on God, and He Himself will swiftly lift you out of the ocean of birth and death.
- Verse 4.3The deepest wisdom opens itself to those who combine devotion with sincere, trusting closeness — not to the merely curious.
Swipe left for 18.67 · Deep spiritual truth bears fruit only in a heart that is sincere, humble, and willing to listen.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.66
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.66, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.66, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.66 mean?
Give up then thy earthly duties, surrender thyself to Me only. Do not be anxious; I will absolve thee from all thy sin. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.66 for daily life?
Surrender wholly to the Divine, release anxious self-reliance, and trust completely that grace will free you.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.66 mean?
सर्वधर्मान् — all duties / dharmas; परित्यज्य — completely abandoning; माम् एकं — unto Me alone; शरणं व्रज — take refuge; अहं त्वा — I shall, thee.
Where does verse 18.66 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 66 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.67.