Bhagavad Gita 18.68 Meaning: Ya idam paramam guhyam

Bhagavad Gita 18.68

य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति ।भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः ॥

Ya idam paramam guhyam madbhakteshvabhidhasyatiBhaktim mayi param kritva mamevaishyatyasanshayah

ya idaṃ paramaṃ guhyaṃ madbhakteṣvabhidhāsyati |bhaktiṃ mayi parāṃ kṛtvā māmevaiṣyatyasaṃśayaḥ ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation The text says, in Krishna's words, that whoever, with the highest devotion to him, teaches this supreme secret to his devotees will come to him, without doubt. This is the Gita's own claim about teaching it.

हिंदी अर्थ यह श्लोक कृष्ण के शब्दों में कहता है कि जो उनकी परा भक्ति करते हुए यह परम रहस्य उनके भक्तों को बताएगा, वह निःसंदेह उन्हीं को पाएगा। यह गीता को सिखाने के बारे में स्वयं गीता का कथन है।

The text’s own words about its benefits, not a promise from Pujadeep.

Word by word

Every word, with its dictionary page

Word by word

यः yaḥ · who (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
इदम् idam · this (pronoun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. idam, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 2 “this, this here, referring to something near the speaker”
परमम् paramam · highest (adjective (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: parama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 588, col. 1 “chief, highest, primary, most prominent or conspicuous; best, most excellent”
गुह्यम् guhyam · secret (noun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: guhya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 360, col. 3 “a secret, mystery”
मद्भक्तेषु madbhakteṣu · among "my" (Krishna's) devotees (compound (masculine), locative plural) Dictionary: mad-bhakta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 777, col. 2 “devoted to me”
अभिधास्यति abhidhāsyati · will tell (future, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. abhi-dhā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 63, col. 2 “to set forth, explain, tell, speak to, address, say, name”
भक्तिम् bhaktim · devotion (noun (feminine), accusative singular) Dictionary: bhakti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 743, col. 2 “attachment, devotion, fondness for, devotion to”
मयि mayi · to "me" (Krishna) (pronoun, locative singular) Dictionary: 1. mad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 777, col. 2 “base of the first pers. pron. in the sg. number (esp. in comp.)”
पराम् parām · highest (adjective (feminine), accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. para, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 586, col. 1 “best or worst, highest, supreme, chief”
कृत्वा kṛtvā · having made (absolutive (having done)) Dictionary: 1. kṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 1 “to do, make, perform, accomplish, cause, effect, prepare, undertake”
माम् mām · to "me" (Krishna) (pronoun, accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. mad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 777, col. 2 “base of the first pers. pron. in the sg. number (esp. in comp.)”
एव eva · indeed (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. eva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 “just, exactly, very, same, only, even, alone, merely”
एष्यति eṣyati · will come (future, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 5. i, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 163, col. 3
असंशयः asaṃśayaḥ · without doubt (literally 'no doubt') (noun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: a-saṃśaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 117, col. 3 “absence of doubt, certainty”

4 printings differ

Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.

The printed edition reads: य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति ।
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयम् ॥
Word The 1922 Madras printing reads: भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयम् The 1922 base printing (leaf n269) reads असंशयम् ('without doubt', said of the outcome). Under decision 14 the display follows the common wording असंशयः ('no doubt'; Shankara: 'there is no doubt about this'), printed by Gita Press (p. 200) and read in sanskritdocuments.org, GRETIL and Sanskrit Wikisource. Telang ('freed from (all) doubts') follows असंशयः; Besant 1895 ('there is no doubt thereof') follows असंशयम्, with a footnote giving the other reading.
Word Today's text from Gita Press, Gorakhpur reads: य इमं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति Today's text from Gita Press (p. 200) reads इमं ('this', masculine, with the secret); sanskritdocuments.org and GRETIL read इदं with the 1922 edition. The popular texts disagree, so the printing's reading stays (decision 14).
Word Today's text from Sanskrit Wikisource reads: य इमं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति Sanskrit Wikisource (the Gita Supersite's text) reads इमं, like Gita Press.

I. e. belief that in disseminating it, he is serving me. Cf. Kathopanishad, p. 120. ↩

Some read "asanshaya," which would be "being freed from doubts." ↩

Bhagavad Gita 18.68: meaning and translation

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