Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Shloka 46

Moksha Sannyasa Yoga

Devanagari script

यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ १८.४६ ॥

Transliteration

yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṃ yena sarvam idaṃ tatam | sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ || 18.46 ||

Translation

Aquel de quien procede el impulso de todos los seres y por quien todo esto está compenetrado: adorándolo mediante la propia acción, el ser humano alcanza la perfección.

Gita Press Meaning

जिससे समस्त प्राणियों की प्रवृत्ति होती है और जिससे यह सब व्याप्त है, उस परमेश्वर की अपने कर्म द्वारा पूजा करके मनुष्य सिद्धि प्राप्त करता है।

Critical Edition Meaning

From whom the activity of beings proceeds and by whom all this is pervaded—worshipping (honoring) Him through one’s own work, a human being finds perfection.

Comparative Note

‘Abhyarcya’ can be translated as ‘worship,’ ‘honor,’ or ‘revere.’ Academic renderings often stress sacralizing ordinary work as offering, aligning karma-yoga with a theistic or panentheistic worldview.

Word by Word

• यतः: from whom/whence
• यतः: अपादान
• Root: यत्

• प्रवृत्तिः: activity; origination; impulse to act
• प्रवृत्तिः: कर्ता
• Root: प्रवृत्ति

• भूतानाम्: of beings; of creatures
• Root: भूत

• येन: by whom; through whom
• येन: करण
• Root: यत्

• सर्वम्: all; the whole
• सर्वम्: कर्ता
• Root: सर्व

• इदम्: this (here, this universe)
• Root: इदम्

• ततम्: pervaded; spread out
• Root: तत (√तन्)

• स्वकर्मणा: by one’s own duty/action
• स्वकर्मणा: करण
• Root: स्वकर्मन्

• तम्: Him
• तम्: कर्म
• Root: तद्

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped; by worshipping
• Root: √अर्च्

• सिद्धिम्: perfection; accomplishment
• सिद्धिम्: कर्म
• Root: सिद्धि

• विन्दति: attains; finds
• Root: √विद् (विन्दति)

• मानवः: the human being; man
• मानवः: कर्ता
• Root: मानव

Speakers

• Krishna

Primary Concepts

• Īśvara (the Lord, theistic principle)
• Karma-yoga
• Offering (yajña-bhāva, implied)
• Immanence (pervasion)

Key Themes

• Sanctification of action
• Devotion integrated with duty
• Immanent divinity

FAQs

Psychological significance?

Treating work as an offering can reduce ego-driven anxiety and increase meaning, shifting attention from self-image to service and excellence.

Metaphysical meaning?

The verse articulates a view of ultimate reality as both source of activity and all-pervading presence; action becomes a mode of relating to that reality.

Contextual relevance?

It answers the prior promise—how perfection is attained through one’s own work—by prescribing a devotional orientation within action.

Modern Application?

It can be applied as an ethic of purpose: perform one’s role responsibly while connecting it to a larger good (community, truth, or the divine), depending on one’s worldview.