Keep striving sincerely.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः |अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ||६-४५||
prayatnādyatamānastu yogī saṃśuddhakilbiṣaḥ . anekajanmasaṃsiddhastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||6-45||
Use this verse when progress feels slow.
Meaning
The yogi who strives with effort, purified of faults and perfected over many births, reaches the supreme goal.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Persistent effort leads to the supreme goal.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna combines grace and effort. Spiritual progress may span a long journey, but sincere striving purifies and leads forward.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna brings this reassuring passage to its triumphant conclusion. The yogi who strives prayatnat — with sustained, earnest effort — life after life becomes samshuddha-kilbisha, thoroughly purified of all sins and impurities. The accumulated practice of aneka-janma, many births, gradually washes the soul clean, and at last he attains the param gatim — the supreme goal, the highest destination.
The phrase 'perfected through many births' frames the entire spiritual journey with patience and grandeur. Liberation may not come in a single lifetime, and Krishna gently sets that expectation, but it comes with absolute certainty to the one who keeps striving. There is no rush and no waste; every life adds to the purification until the work is complete.
This is the perfect answer to Arjuna's fear: not only is no effort lost, but persistent effort across lifetimes guarantees the ultimate attainment. The path is long but sure, and the patient, sincere seeker is destined to arrive.
In daily life
Do not compare your timeline with others.
A seeker may need years of small practice rather than one dramatic breakthrough.
Try this today
Commit to one small long-term practice.
I keep striving and moving toward the highest.Reflect
Am I willing to grow over time?
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Quick check
What does ‘योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on purification, in other chapters
- Verse 4.10Release attachment, fear, and anger; let knowledge purify you — and union with the divine becomes not rare but attainable.
- Verse 8.15Worldly life, for all its pleasures, is fleeting and tinged with sorrow; the soul's true freedom lies beyond the wheel of rebirth.
- Verse 13.24Right understanding of self and nature liberates you wherever you stand — no special circumstance required.
- Verse 18.12Clinging to results binds you to their consequences; releasing them sets you free.
Swipe left for 6.46 · Yoga integrates all paths.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.45
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.45, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.45, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.45 mean?
The yogi who strives with effort, purified of faults and perfected over many births, reaches the supreme goal. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.45 for daily life?
Do not compare your timeline with others. A seeker may need years of small practice rather than one dramatic breakthrough.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.45 mean?
प्रयत्नात् यतमानः तु — but striving with effort; योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः — the yogi, purified of all sins; अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धः — perfected through many births; ततः याति पराम् गतिम् — then attains the supreme goal.
Where does verse 6.45 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 45 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.46.