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Chapter XVIII78 verses

अथाष्टादशोऽध्यायः

मोक्षसंन्यासयोगः

The Yoga of the Renunciation of Liberation

Mokṣa-saṁnyāsa-yoga

Abandon all dharmas and take refuge in the Beloved alone; he will deliver thee from all sin and evil: grieve not, and rejoice again and again. — The Delight of Krishna

The soul enters in
oṃ tat sat — sacrifice, gift and askesis offered to the Real
and is led towards
mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja — refuge in the Divine alone, and a delight that rejoices again and again
Begin at 18 · 1 Play chapter

Recitations

  1. Swami Sarvagananda ji0:00
  2. Ashit Desai0:00
In this chapter

78 verses

Summary of chapter 18

I. The Gunas. Mind and Works (1-39)

The Glta enters Into a summary psychological anatysls of the mental powers before it proceeds to its great finale, the highest secret which is that of a spiritual exceeding of all dharrnas.

II. Swabhava and Swadharma (40-48)

In this section the Gita deals with an incidental question of great importance - the ancient social idea of chaturvamya, which was a very different thing from the present day caste system.

III. Towards the Supreme Secret (49-58)

In this section the Gita re-states the body of its message.

IV. The Supreme Secret (57-78)

The essence of the teaching and the Yoga has thus been given to the disciple and the divine Teacher now proceeds to apply to his action. Attached to a crucial example, spoken to the protagonist of Kurukshetra, the words bear a much wider significance and are a universal rule for all who are ready to ascend above the ordinary mentality and to live and act in the highest spiritual consciousness.

Chapter 18 illustration, titled मोक्षसंन्यासयोगः
Illustration · Sushanto Nath, Sri Aurobindo Society

Chapter outline

Choose a range to read just those verses.

  1. 18·1–12sannyésa and mega differentiated; three qualities of tyéga.
  2. 18·13–17The five determinants of Action.
  3. 18·18–28The Knowledge, the Action, the Deer according to the three Gunas.
  4. 18·29–35Intelligence and persistence of will according to the three Gunas.
  5. 18·36–39Pleasures according to the three Gunas.
  6. 18·40–48The specific works of the four types of people (caturvarnva); Spiritual perfection through and according to one's own nature and work.
  7. 18·49–58Rightly oriented spiritual discipline culminating in bhakti.
  8. 18·59–60The force of personal nature.
  9. 18·61–63The all governing God within; integral surrender to Him.
  10. 18·64–66The supreme Word of the Master.
  11. 18·67–73The importance of the secret Knowledge of the Gita; Arjuna's complete rehabilitation and his pledge to do the Divine's bidding.
  12. 18·74–78Sanjava's thrilling recollections and his conviction regarding glory and victory to the Lord with His hero disciple.
  13. 18·1–78Show all 78 verses

The verses

Showing verses 40–48 of 78 · Show all 78 verses

Śrī Bhagavān uvācaश्रीभगवानुवाच

  1. 18·40न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः । सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्त्रिभिर्गुणैः ॥ ४० ॥na tadasti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ, sattvaṁ prakṛtijairmuktaṁ yadebhiḥ syāttribhirguṇaiḥ.There is not an entity, either on the earth or again in heaven among the gods, that is not subject to the…
  2. 18·41ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परन्तप । कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः ॥ ४१ ॥brāhmaṇakṣatriyaviśāṁ śūdrāṇāṁ ca parantapa, karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāvaprabhavairguṇaiḥ.The works of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras are divided according to the qualities (Gunas) born of…
  3. 18·42शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च । ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४२ ॥śamo damastapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntirārjavameva ca, jñānaṁ vijñānamāstikyaṁ brahmakarma svabhāvajam.Calm, self-control, askesis, purity, long-suffering, candour, knowledge, acceptance of spiritual truth are the…
  4. 18·43शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् । दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४३ ॥śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtirdākṣyaṁ yuddhe cāpyapalāyanam, dānamīśvarabhāvaśca kṣātraṁ karma svabhāvajam.Heroism, high spirit, resolution, ability, not fleeing in the battle, giving, lordship īśvarabhāva, the…
  5. 18·44कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् । परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ॥ ४४ ॥kṛṣigaurakṣyavāṇijyaṁ vaiśyakarma svabhāvajam, paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāvajam.Agriculture, cattle-keeping, trade inclusive of the labour of the craftsman and the artisan are the natural…
  6. 18·45स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः । स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु ॥ ४५ ॥sve sve karmaṇyabhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ, svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tacchṛṇu.A man who is intent on his own natural work attains perfection.
  7. 18·46, a key verseयतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ ४६ ॥yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṁ yena sarvamidaṁ tatam, svakarmaṇā tamabhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ.He from whom all beings originate, by whom all this universe is pervaded, by worshipping Him by his own work…
  8. 18·47श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् । स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥ ४७ ॥śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt, svabhāvaniyataṁ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam.Better is one’s own law of works, though in itself faulty, than an alien law well wrought out.
  9. 18·48सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् । सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ॥ ४८ ॥sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sadoṣamapi na tyajet, sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnirivāvṛtāḥ.The inborn work, O son of Kunti, though defective, ought not to be abandoned.
Show all 78 verses

End of the chapter

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सुब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादेमोक्षसंन्यासयोगो नाम अष्टादशोऽध्यायः ॥ १८॥

om tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsubrahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvādemokṣasaṁnyāsayogo nāma aṣṭādaśo’dhyāyaḥ

Thus, in the Upanishad sung by the Lord, the science of Brahman, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the eighteenth chapter entitled “The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation”

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