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Bhagavad-gītā 18.64

सर्वगुह्यतमं भूय: श‍ृणु मे परमं वच: । इष्टोऽसि मे दृढमिति ततो वक्ष्यामि ते हितम् ॥ ६४ ॥
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
[sarva-guhyatamam bhooyah]
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
[shrinu me paramam vachah]
iṣṭo ’si me dṛḍham iti
[ishto ’si me dridham iti]
tato vakṣyāmi te hitam
[tato vakshyaami te hitam]
Word-for-word
sarva - guhya - tamam — the most confidential of all bhūyaḥ — again śṛṇu — just hear me — from Me paramam — the supreme vacaḥ — instruction iṣṭaḥ asi — you are dear me — to Me dṛḍham — very iti — thus tataḥ — therefore vakṣyāmi — I am speaking te — for your hitam — benefit .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
sarva - guhya - tamam
the most confidential of all
bhūyaḥ
again
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
śṛṇu
just hear
me
from Me
paramam
the supreme
vacaḥ
instruction
iṣṭo ’si me dṛḍham iti
iṣṭaḥ asi
you are dear
me
to Me
dṛḍham
very
iti
thus
tato vakṣyāmi te hitam
tataḥ
therefore
vakṣyāmi
I am speaking
te
for your
hitam
benefit .
Important Words
  • sarva - guhya - tamam — the most confidential of all
    Superlative compound. Even *more* secret than the guhya-tara of the previous verse. Kṛṣṇa is escalating: he has more to say, the deepest layer is yet to come.
  • bhūyaḥ — again
    Adverb. Kṛṣṇa is doubling back. Having said the teaching was complete, he now opens it once more — for the deepest stratum. The structure mirrors the Vaiṣṇava conviction that bhakti is the *culminating* secret.
  • iṣṭaḥ asi — you are dear
    Iṣṭa — beloved. With dṛḍham: very dear. The reason for the further disclosure is *friendship*. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna the deepest secret not because he is qualified by tapas or jñāna but because he is *dear*.
  • vacaḥ — instruction
    With paramam: the supreme instruction. Not a doctrine, not a method — a *word* (vacas), and the *supreme* one. The verse highlights the personal-utterance quality of what follows.
  • hitam — for (your) benefit
    The whole disclosure is for Arjuna's hita — welfare. Not for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure, not for cosmic instruction. The most confidential knowledge is shared precisely because it benefits the beloved.
Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
After the apparent finality of v. 63, Kṛṣṇa reopens the conversation for one more — the most confidential — word. The stated reason is intimate: 'you are firmly dear to Me.' Love, not pedagogy, motivates the last gift.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The superlative 'sarva-guhya-tamam' (most secret of all) raises the stakes for what follows: the carama-śloka of v. 66. 'Iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍham' is among the most personally affectionate lines Kṛṣṇa addresses to Arjuna anywhere — it grounds the final instruction in the friendship of v. 64ff (cf. 4.3 'sakhā ceti').
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
मे परमं सर्व-गुह्य-तमं वचः भूयः शृणु । मे दृढम् इष्टः असि — इति ततः ते हितं वक्ष्यामि ।
me paramaṃ sarva-guhya-tamaṃ vacaḥ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu | me dṛḍham iṣṭaḥ asi — iti tataḥ te hitaṃ vakṣyāmi |
Hear once more My supreme word, most secret of all. Because you are firmly dear to Me, I shall therefore speak what is good for you.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सर्व-गुह्य-तमं भूयः शृणु मे परमं वचः । इष्टः असि मे दृढम् इति ततः वक्ष्यामि ते हितम् ॥
sarva-guhya-tamaṃ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ | iṣṭaḥ asi me dṛḍham iti tataḥ vakṣyāmi te hitam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
सर्व-गुह्य-तमम् sarva-guhya-tamam tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) superl. acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. most secret of all
भूयः bhūyaḥ ind. (indeclinable) again
शृणु śṛṇu √श्रु impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) hear!
मे me अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of Me
परमम् paramam परम (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. supreme
वचः vacaḥ वचस् (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) word
इष्टः iṣṭaḥ √इष् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. dear
असि asi √अस् pres. (present) 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) you are
दृढम् dṛḍham ind. (indeclinable) firmly
इति iti ind. (indeclinable) thus
ततः tataḥ ind. (indeclinable) therefore
वक्ष्यामि vakṣyāmi √वच् fut. (future) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I shall speak
ते te युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) to you
हितम् hitam हित (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. the good
Purport

The Lord has given Arjuna knowledge that is confidential (knowledge of Brahman) and still more confidential (knowledge of the Supersoul within everyone’s heart), and now He is giving the most confidential part of knowledge: just surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At the end of the Ninth Chapter He has said, man-manāḥ: “Just always think of Me.” The same instruction is repeated here to stress the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. This essence is not understood by a common man, but by one who is actually very dear to Kṛṣṇa, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is the most important instruction in all Vedic literature. What Kṛṣṇa is saying in this connection is the most essential part of knowledge, and it should be carried out not only by Arjuna but by all living entities.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
64. Again hear from Me the highest words, the supreme secret. Since you are very dear to Me, I will speak for your benefit.
Commentary

Glancing at Arjuna, His very dear friend, standing silently as he began to review the very deep meaning of the Gītā scripture, the Lord, His heart melting like butter due to His mercy, spoke. “O My dear friend Arjuna, I will now speak the essence of the whole scripture in eight verses. Forget about the difficulties in having to review everything in order to understand it.” Again (bhūyaḥ) hear the most secret knowledge. [Note: This knowledge is therefore more secret than that discussed in verse 62, which was more secret that the knoweldge of karma, jñāna and yoga.] He says “again” because He said the same thing at the end of the ninth chapter: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ BG 9.34

Those are the highest words (paramaṁ vacaḥ), the most secret (guhyatamam), the essence of even the Gītā, which is the essence of the meaning of all scriptures. There is no secret greater than this, in any place, from any cause, by any means. He then gives the reason for speaking this. Because you are very (dṛḍham) dear (iṣṭaḥ), My friend, I speak for your benefit. Without having such friendship no one speaks any most confidential topic. Dṛḍha-matiḥ (with fixed mind) instead of dṛḍham iti is another reading of the text.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
64. Again hear from Me the highest words, the supreme secret, since you are very dear to M and you have faith in its authority. I will speak for your benefit.
Commentary

The Lord will now explain the process and attainment of the nirapekṣa bhakta. First He praises this process of the nirapekṣa bhakta. Among all secrets, this is the most secret (sarva guhyatamam). Hear this again, for in the ninth chapter, I have already stated this (man manā bhava mad bhakto), but because it is very dear to Me, at the end, listen as I say I again. It is the supreme (paramam) statement, the essence of the Gītā, which is the essence of all other scriptures. What is the reason for saying it again? You are the dearest to Me (iṣṭaḥ). You have faith that My words possess all authority (dṛḍham iti). Therefore I will speak for your benefit. Therefore, you should act upon this. This is the implied meaning.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has mentioned the following in his commentary on texts 63–

64:

Thus the six chapters teaching jñāna have reached their completion. These six chapters of the śāstra,

Śrī Gītā, are jewels of spiritual education. They form part of a treasure chest containing the rarest secret of

bhakti. The first six chapters dealing with karma form the golden, lower part of the chest, and the third six

chapters dealing with jñāna form its gem-studded cover. The bhakti found within is the most precious treas-

ure in the three worlds. It has the power to bring Śrī Kṛṣṇa under control. It shines brilliantly as the most ex-

cellent of precious jewels. The key to obtaining this jewel is the pair of verses on the cover of the treasure

chest, the sacred sixty-four syllables beginning man-manā bhava [texts 65–66].

Seeing His dear friend Arjuna silently deliberating on the Gītā-śāstra, with its deep meanings, the Lord

felt His heart melt like butter out of compassion and said, “My dear friend Arjuna, I will now speak the es-

sence of this entire śāstra. You don’t have to exert yourself any more with this troublesome deliberating.”

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
18.64 Srnu, listen; bhuyah, again; to me, My; paramam, highest; vacah, utternace; which is sarva-guhyatamam, profundest of all, most secret of all secrets, though it has been repeatedly stated. Neither from fear nor even for the sake of money am I speaking! What then? Iti, since, considering that; asi, you are; drdham, ever, unwaveringly; istah, dear; me, to Me; tatah, therefore, for that reason; vaksyami, I shall speak; what is hitam, beneficial; te, to you, what is the highest means of attaining Knowledge. That is indeed the most beneficial of all beneficial things. 'What is that (You are going to tell me)?' In answer the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
18.64 It has been said that Bhakti Yoga is the most secret of all secrets, in such texts as 'I will declare to you, who does not cavil, this most mysterious knowledge' (9.1). Hear again My supreme word concerning it (i.e., Bhakti Yoga). As you are exceedingly dear to Me, therefore, I shall declare what is good for you.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
18.64 See Comment under 18.65
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
18.64 Hear thou again My supreme word, most secret of all; because thou art dearly beloved of Me, I will tell thee what is good.
Commentary

18.64 सर्वगुह्यतमम् the most secret of all? भूयः again? श्रृणु hear? मे My? परमम् supreme? वचः word? इष्टः beloved? असि (thou) art? मे of Me? दृढम् dearly? इति thus? ततः therefore? वक्ष्यामि (I) will speak? ते thy? हितम् what is good.Commentary Now listen once more with rapt attention to My words. Thou art very dear to Me. Thou art a sincere aspirant. Therefore I am telling thee this most mysterious truth. Hear from Me this mystery of all mysteries. I shall tell it to you again to make a deep impression on your mind? although it has been declared more than once. I do not hope to get any reward from thee. Thou art My most beloved friend and disciple. Therefore I will speak what is good for thee? the means of attaining Selfrealisation. This is the supreme good or the highest of all kinds of good for thee.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
18.64 Listen again to My highest utterance which is the profoundest of all. Since you are ever dear to Me, therefore I shall speak what is beneficial to you.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
18.64 Only listen once more to My last word, the deepest secret of all; thou art My beloved, thou are My friend, and I speak for thy welfare.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 18.65 BG 4.3 BG 10.1 SB 11.29.5 SB 10.87.23 SB 1.1.1 CC Madhya 24.192 CC Antya 5.79 CC Madhya 8.195 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.7Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.22
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Hear again My most confidential instruction — because you are very dear to Me, I speak this for your benefit.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize the affection in Kṛṣṇa's repeating Himself.
  • Don't take repetition as redundancy.
  • Receive the renewed instruction freshly.
Reflection Questions
  • What instruction has Kṛṣṇa repeated for me that I missed first time?
  • What does fresh receiving allow?
Analogy

After all the public teaching of a long evening, the master leans toward one beloved disciple and lowers his voice. The whole village has heard the doctrine; only this disciple receives the heart of it. Friendship, here, is the channel of the deepest disclosure.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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