Bhagavad Gita 18.55
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 55 of 78
भक्त्या माम् अभिजानाति यावान् यश् चास्मि तत्त्वतः । ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ | tato māṃ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram ||
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Word by word (3)
- bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
- — by/through devotion (bhaktyā = through bhakti), one fully-knows (abhijānāti = abhi + jñā = thoroughly knows; not mere knowledge but complete recognition) Me (mām), what I am (yāvān = how-great/what-extent I am) and who I am (yaś ca asmi = and who I am), in truth/truly (tattvataḥ = in-tattva-form = truly, in reality, as-the-essence-is) — bhakti is the INSTRUMENT of tattva-jñāna of the Divine
- tato māṃ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram
- — then (tataḥ = from that, after that), having truly known (tattvato jñātvā = having-known-in-truth) Me (mām), one enters (viśate = enters into, from viś = to enter) into Me (mām), immediately after (tad-anantaram = tad + anantara = immediately thereafter, without interval) — the sequence: parā bhakti → tattva-jñāna → immediate entry into the Divine (tad-anantaram = no delay)
- bhaktyā...abhijānāti...tattvataḥ
- — by bhakti one TRULY knows (tattvataḥ) — this is the supreme epistemological claim of the Gita: the deepest knowledge of the Divine (yāvān = what-extent = the magnitude/nature of God; yaś = who) is accessible only through bhakti, not through philosophical analysis alone. This verse directly answers Ch.7 V1's promise (mām pūrṇam jñāsyasi) and Ch.11 V54's na vedair na tapasā na dānena na ijyayā — only by ananya-bhakti (undivided devotion) can one truly know and enter the Divine.
By devotion one knows Me in truth — what I am and who I am; then, having truly known Me, one enters into Me immediately.
A modern analogy
This is one of the Gita's most magnificent teachings: bhakti (devotion) is not less than jñāna (knowledge) but the means of the HIGHEST knowing. A scientist who loves what they study sees what a disinterested analyst misses. Similarly, the bhakta (devotee) who loves the Divine gains access to the tattva (truth) of the Divine that no amount of philosophical analysis yields. And this truth-knowing through devotion leads directly (tad-anantaram — immediately thereafter) to viśate — entry into the Divine.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
By Devotion he knows Me in truth, what and who I am; then, knowing Me in truth, he forthwith enters into Me. [1]
By devotion he knows Me in reality, what and who I am; then having known Me in reality, he forthwith enters into Me. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
By that devotion he truly understands Me. What I am, and who I am; then understanding Me truly, he enters into Me forthwith. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
No being — neither on earth nor among the devas in heaven — is free from these three guṇas born of Prakṛti.
Learn briefly from Me how one who has attained siddhi attains Brahman — the supreme culmination of knowledge.
This knowledge, more secret than all secrets, has been declared to you — reflect on it fully and act as you wish.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
If you know the soul is indestructible — who kills whom?
Verse 55 of 78 · back to Chapter 18