FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 6.45

प्रयत्‍नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संश‍ुद्धकिल्बिष: । अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥ ४५ ॥
prayatnād yatamānas tu
[prayatnaad yatamaanas tu]
yogī saṁśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ
[yogee samshuddha-kilbishah]
aneka-janma-saṁsiddhas
[aneka-janma-samsiddhas]
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
[tato yaati paraam gatim]
Word-for-word
prayatnāt — by rigid practice yatamānaḥ — endeavoring tu — and yogī — such a transcendentalist saṁśuddha — washed off kilbiṣaḥ — all of whose sins aneka — after many, many janma — births saṁsiddhaḥ — having achieved perfection tataḥ — thereafter yāti — attains parām — the highest gatim — destination .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prayatnād yatamānas tu
prayatnāt
by rigid practice
yatamānaḥ
endeavoring
tu
and
yogī saṁśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ
yogī
such a transcendentalist
saṁśuddha
washed off
kilbiṣaḥ
all of whose sins
aneka-janma-saṁsiddhas
aneka
after many, many
janma
births
saṁsiddhaḥ
having achieved perfection
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
tataḥ
thereafter
yāti
attains
parām
the highest
gatim
destination .
Important Words
  • prayatnāt — by rigid practice
    Pra-yatna — 'thorough endeavor.' Ablative — 'by means of intensified effort.' The casual practice does not produce saṁsiddhi; rigid, sustained effort does. The verse is not soft.
  • saṁśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ — washed off all whose sins
    Saṁ-śuddha — 'thoroughly cleansed'; kilbiṣa — 'sin, taint.' The yogī, across many births, is cleansed of every taint. The verse names the cumulative purification: each life adds another wash.
  • aneka-janma — after many, many births
    An-eka — 'not-one,' i.e., many; janma — 'birth.' The verse is explicit about the multi-life timeline. It is one of the Gītā's clearest statements on the patience required by the path.
  • saṁsiddhaḥ — having achieved perfection
    Past participle of sam-√sidh — 'thoroughly accomplished.' The same root as siddhi. The cumulative arc reaches its end. After many lives of prayatna, saṁsiddhi finally.
  • parām gatim — the highest destination
    Para — 'highest, supreme'; gati — 'destination.' Answer to Arjuna's question in 6.37 (kām gatim gacchati). The yogī gets parām gatim, not durgati. The chapter's whole anxiety is here resolved.
And when the yogī engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, achieving perfection after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.
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)
The culminating verse of the yoga-bhraṣṭa discussion: through many lives of cumulative effort, with all stain cleansed, the yogī finally reaches parā gati. The path is long but the arrival is guaranteed.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
'Aneka-janma-saṁsiddha' — perfected over many births — is the scriptural warrant for spiritual patience. The 'tu' makes the contrast: 41-44 described circumstances, 45 names the active virtue: striving (yatamāna). Parā gati anticipates 8.13 and 15.6's vocabulary for the highest goal.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
तु प्रयत्नात् यतमानः संशुद्ध-किल्बिषः अनेक-जन्म-संसिद्धः योगी ततः परां गतिं याति।
tu prayatnāt yatamānaḥ saṃśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ aneka-janma-saṃsiddhaḥ yogī tataḥ parāṃ gatiṃ yāti|
But the yogī who strives with effort, whose stains are thoroughly purified, perfected through many births, then reaches the supreme destination.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
प्रयत्नात् यतमानः तु योगी संशुद्ध-किल्बिषः । अनेक-जन्म-संसिद्धः ततः याति परां गतिम् ॥
prayatnāt yatamānaḥ tu yogī saṃśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ | aneka-janma-saṃsiddhaḥ tataḥ yāti parāṃ gatim ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
प्रयत्नात् prayatnāt प्रयत्न (m.) abl.sg. (ablative singular) from/with effort
यतमानः yatamānaḥ √यत् pres. (present)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) striving
तु tu ind. (indeclinable) but
योगी yogī योगिन् (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) yogī
संशुद्ध-किल्बिषः saṃśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ संशुद्ध (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + किल्बिष (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) whose stain is washed away
अनेक-जन्म-संसिद्धः aneka-janma-saṃsiddhaḥ अनेक + जन्मन् (n.) + संसिद्ध (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) perfected through many births
ततः tataḥ ind. (indeclinable) thence
याति yāti √या pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) goes
पराम् गतिम् parām gatim परा (adj.) + गति (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) supreme destination
Purport

A person born in a particularly righteous, aristocratic or sacred family becomes conscious of his favorable condition for executing yoga practice. With determination, therefore, he begins his unfinished task, and thus he completely cleanses himself of all material contaminations. When he is finally free from all contaminations, he attains the supreme perfection – Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfect stage of being freed of all contaminations. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) : yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ “After many, many births of executing pious activities, when one is completely freed from all contaminations, and from all illusory dualities, one becomes engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
45. That yogī, unlike before, striving with full effort, becoming purified of his faults and reaching full perfection after many births, finally attains the supreme goal of liberation.
Commentary

The cause of falling from the path is lack of effort. That has been mentioned before: though he has faith, he puts forth little effort (ayatiḥ). It has been mentioned that the fallen yogī with lax practice attains the practice of yoga again in the next life. However, he does not attain perfection. That will only be attained after many births when his practice becomes mature. But he does not become lax in the yoga practice, and cannot be called a fallen yogī. The perfection takes place only after many births of practice. Kardama Muni says: bahu-janma-vipakvena samyag-yoga-samādhinā draṣṭuṁ yatante yatayaḥ śūnyāgāreṣu yat-padam After many births, mature yogīs, by complete trance in yoga, endeavor in secluded places to see the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB 3.24.28 Thus it is mentioned in this verse that he does not attain perfection in one birth. He makes great effort (prayatnād yatamānaḥ) in this life, in contrast to his previous life (tu), and burns up all faults, but even then he does not attain perfection in one life. Finally, he attains liberation (parāṁ gatim).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
45. That yogī, more than in previous life striving with full effort, becoming purified of his faults, and reaching full perfection after many births, finally attains the supreme goal.
Commentary

This verse explains the spiritual happiness he attains. He makes even more effort in this life than in his last life, out of fear of his previous obstacles. By this additional effort he purifies himself of all material desires. From achieving a mature state of yoga (saṁsiddhaḥ) after many births, he attains liberation (gatim) which is supreme— seeing his own ātmā and paramātmā (param).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

This specifically applies to those who are advanced transcendentalists like Jada Bharata. They make all endeavors in order to not fall down. They are extremelly serious. This is true for all yogis.

[ F . THE TOPMOST YOGI (6. 46‑47) A yogi is greater than an empiricist, a fruitive worker, and an ascetic. And the yogi who always thinks of Krsna within, and who with full faith worships Krsna, is in a class by himself, and is the greatest of all. ]

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

To become successful, a yoga-bhraṣṭaù (a yogī who has fallen from his practice) must work harder

than yogīs who have practiced longer. Why? Because rigid practice (prayatnāt) is more difficult to

achieve from a śucīnām birth (birth in a pious, religious family) or a śrīmatām birth (birth in a rich

mercantile or royal family) than from a birth in a yogīnāā dhīmatām family (a family of transcen-

dentalists possessing great wisdom). Children born in families of transcendentalists receive especially

deep Kṛṣṇa conscious impressions and training early in their spiritual life.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
6.45 The yogi, the man of Knowledge; yatamanah, applying himself; prayatnat, assiduously, i.e. striving more intensely; and as a result, samsuddha-kilbisah, becoming purified from sin; and aneka-janma-samsiddhah, attaining perfection through many births- gathering together tendencies little by little in many births, and attaining perfection through that totality of impressions acired in many births; tatah, thery coming to have full Illumination; yati, achieves; the param, highest, most perfect; ;gatim, Goal. Since this is so, therefore.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
6.45 Because of such excellence of Yoga, through accumulation of merit collected in many births the Yogin striving earnestly, becomes cleansed from stains. Having become perfected, he reaches the supreme state, even though he had once gone astray. Sri Krsna now speaks of the superiority of the Yogin above all others because of his being devoted to the supreme goal of human existence.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
6.43-45 Tatra etc. upto param gatim. For a full success : for emancipation. Being not a master of himself : Indeed being exclusively under the control of other [force], he is forcibly driven towards the practice of Yoga by that [mental impression of his] former practice. This is not an ordinary thing. For, his act of passing over what strengthens the [sacred texual] sound is only due to his desire for knowing the Yoga. He passes over, i.e., he does not undertake, what strengthens the sound i.e., that which is of the nature of hymn-recitation etc. After that : after [the rise of] desire for knowing [Yoga]. Striving by method of practice, he attains the Vasudevahood (identity with the Surpeme) at the time of destruction of his body. It should not be regarded that he has achieved success by [his pratice in] that single body gone. Instead, it should be regarded that he had practised during the course of many a life-period. Therefore, it may be conclude that the fallen-from-Yoga is he who craves continously for activities of [attaining] the Bhagavat by abandoning all other activities. The superiority (or importance) of the Yoga, [the Lord] describes:
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
6.45 But the Yogi who strives with assiduity, purified of sins and perfected gradually through many births, reaches the highest goal.
Commentary

6.45 प्रयत्नात् with assiduity? यतमानः striving? तु but? योगी the Yogi? संशुद्धकिल्बिषः purified from sins? अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धः perfected through many births? ततः then? याति reaches? पराम् the highest? गतिम् path.Commentary He gains experiences little by little in the course of many births and eventually attains to perfection. Then he gets the knowledge of the Self and attains to the final beatitude of life.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
6.45 However, the yogi, applying himself assiduously, becoming purified from sin and attaining perfection through many births, thery acheives the highest Goal.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
6.45 Then after many lives, the student of spirituality, who earnestly strives, and whose sins are absolved, attains perfection and reaches the Supreme.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 7.19 BG 4.9 BG 8.15 SB 11.20.32 SB 3.32.22 SB 5.19.25 CC Madhya 8.91 CC Madhya 22.54 CC Madhya 24.141 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.9Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.21
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Striving with sincere endeavor through many births, the yogi at last attains the supreme goal.
Practical Applications
  • Trust the time-horizon: many births if needed.
  • Be patient with progress.
  • Each life of sincere effort moves the trajectory.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I been impatient with the multi-life timeline?
  • What patience would I cultivate if I trusted the timeline?
Analogy

A river crosses many states, gathers many tributaries, sheds many silts — and at last arrives at the ocean. Each life's effort is one stretch of the river; many such stretches make the final reach. The verse refuses the impatient picture of one-life perfection. The river takes its course.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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