Bhagavad Gita 5.25
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 25 of 29
लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः। छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः॥५-२५॥
labhante brahma-nirvāṇam ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ | chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ || 5.25 ||
Seers with sins destroyed, doubts cut, self-controlled, devoted to all beings' welfare — they attain brahma-nirvāṇa.
Word by word (7)
- labhante
- — they attain / they obtain / they gain (third person plural, present tense — active, ongoing)
- brahma-nirvāṇam
- — brahma-nirvāṇa — extinction of the separate self in Brahman / liberation in the Supreme
- ṛṣayaḥ
- — seers / sages / rishis — those who directly perceive truth (from drṣ = to see)
- kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
- — whose impurities are destroyed / whose moral and mental taints are exhausted (kṣīṇa = diminished/destroyed, kalmaṣa = impurity, sin, defilement)
- chinna-dvaidhāḥ
- — whose doubts are cut / whose duality is severed (chinna = cut, dvaidha = duality, wavering, doubt)
- yata-ātmānaḥ
- — self-controlled / whose self is restrained and disciplined (yata = restrained, ātman = self)
- sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
- — devoted to / delighting in the welfare of all beings (sarva = all, bhūta = beings, hita = welfare/good, ratāḥ = delighting in, devoted to)
The seers attain the peace of Brahman — those whose impurities are worn away, whose doubts are severed, who are masters of themselves, and who delight in the welfare of all beings.
A modern analogy
The four qualities describe someone who has done real inner work: they've cleared out the accumulated guilt and shame of unethical patterns (kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ); they've resolved the existential doubts that kept them paralysed (chinna-dvaidhāḥ); they've developed the capacity to regulate impulse and attention (yatātmānaḥ); and they've moved from self-interest to genuine care for others' wellbeing (sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ). This is the complete inner transformation this verse describes — not one achievement but four interlocking ones.
What it does NOT mean
Brahma-nirvāṇa is not compatible with selfish withdrawal. The last qualification — sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ (delighting in the welfare of all beings) — explicitly links liberation with compassionate engagement. The liberated seer is not someone who has left humanity behind. The opposite: they are the most devoted to humanity's good, because they see no separation between themselves and all beings.
Take with you
- Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ: impurities destroyed — kalmaṣa includes unresolved ethical wrongs, habitual patterns that harm self and others, and the residue of selfish action. The work of karma-yoga (acting without ego-attachment) naturally reduces kalmaṣa over time.
- Chinna-dvaidhāḥ: doubts cut — dvaidha (duality/wavering) refers to existential uncertainty about the Self, Brahman, and reality. This is removed not by intellectual argument but by direct experience (anubhava). The seeker who wavers between paths, between doubt and faith, still has this cutting of doubt ahead of them.
- Sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ: this is a social ethic embedded in the definition of liberation. The one who attains brahma-nirvāṇa is not withdrawn from concern for others — they are its most committed expression. The equal vision Krishna praised just before — seeing the same Self in a learned Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste — naturally produces this: when you see the same Self in all, all beings' welfare IS your welfare.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
"The seers whose impurities are destroyed, whose doubts are cut, who are self-controlled, who are devoted to the welfare of all beings — they attain brahma-nirvāṇa." [1]
"The seers whose sins have been destroyed, whose doubts have been dispelled, who are self-controlled and who are engaged in doing good to all creatures, obtain the Brahmic bliss." [4]
"The holy men whose sins are destroyed, whose doubts are gone, who are self-ruled, who are bent on the welfare of all beings, gain the peace of the ETERNAL." [5]
"The seers who are freed from passion, fear, and anger, whose thoughts are fixed on Me, who find refuge in Me — many purified by knowledge and penance have come to My nature." [6]
"Seers whose sins are done away, whose doubts are gone, whose hearts are disciplined, who take all good of all — for those there is the bliss of Brahman." [7]
"The seers, with their sins destroyed, their doubts removed, self-restrained, and engaged in doing good to all beings, attain the Brahmic bliss." [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Joy within, delight within, light within — that yogi, become Brahman, attains brahma-nirvāṇa.
For those freed from desire and anger, with controlled minds, knowing the Self — brahma-nirvāṇa exists on all sides.
Janaka attained perfection through action — not despite it. Act for the welfare of the world (lokasaṃgraha).
The paṇḍita sees equally in a learned Brahmin, cow, elephant, dog, and outcaste — sama-darśana.
Restraining the senses, equal-minded everywhere, devoted to the welfare of all beings — they also attain Me!
Give first, then receive — freed from all impurity. Cook only for yourself — you eat your own sin.
Verse 25 of 29 · back to Chapter 5