Bhagavad Gita · 18.57 · Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender·57 of 78
चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः।बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य मच्चित्तः सततं भव ॥
chetasā sarva-karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ
buddhi-yogam upāśhritya mach-chittaḥ satataṁ bhava
Sanskrit recitation
Surrender the weight · 18.56–18.66 · Teaching
Translation
Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the highest goal, and resorting to the yoga of discrimination, do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
Meaning
Do thou, O Arjuna, surrender all thy actions to Me whilst at the same time fixing thy mind on discrimination. Then through that discrimination thou wilt see thy Self as separate from the body and activity and existing in My pure Being. Chetasa Mentally with the discriminative faith that knowledge finally leads to liberation when the heart is purified through selfless works done with the spirit of offering to God.Sarvakarmani All actions producing visible and invisible results.Me The Lord As taught in verse 27 of chapter IX Whatever thou doest, whatever thou eatest, etc., do thou dedicate all thy actions to Me.Matparah Taking Me, Vaasudeva, as the supreme goal, and his whole self centred in Me.Resorting to Buddhi Yoga As thy sole refuge steadymindedness.
After Swami Sivananda
Surrender the weight· 18.56–18.66→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 18.56Having taken refuge in Me and doing all actions, by My grace he obtains the eternal, indestructible state of being.
18.57Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the highest goal, and resorting to the yoga of discrimination, do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
- 18.58Fixing your mind on Me, you shall, by My grace, overcome all obstacles; but if you will not hear Me due to egoism, you shall perish.
- 18.59If, filled with egoism, thou thinkest, "I will not fight," then thy resolve is vain; nature will compel thee.
- 18.60O Arjuna, bound by your own Karma (action) born of your own nature, that which from delusion you wish not to do, even that you shall do helplessly.
- 18.61The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusory power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine.
- 18.62Fly to Him for refuge with all your being, O Arjuna; by His grace you will obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.
- 18.63Thus, wisdom more secret than secrecy itself has been declared to you by me. Reflect on it fully, then act as you wish.
- 18.64Hear again My supreme word, most secret of all; for you are dearly beloved of Me, I will tell you what is good.
- 18.65Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. You will come to Me; I truly promise you this, for you are dear to Me.
- 18.66Abandon all duties and take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.
Word-by-word→
- mayi
- to me
- bhava
- be
- satatam
- always
- chetasā
- by consciousness
- sannyasya
- dedicating
- mat-paraḥ
- having me as the supreme goal
- buddhi-yogam
- having the intellect united with God
- upāśhritya
- taking shelter of
- mat-chittaḥ
- consciousness absorbed in me
- sarva-karmāṇi
- every activity
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