Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 65
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु।मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे।।
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ‘si me
also searched as "man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru"
Translation
Focus your mind on Me. Be My devotee. Worship Me. Prostrate before Me. You will come to Me alone. I promise you truly; for you are dear to Me.
Vāṇi's rendering
Give me your mind, love, worship, and reverence. You will come to me — I promise, for you are dear.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मन्मनाःman-manā | with the mind fixed on me |
| भवbhava | be, become |
| मद्भक्तःmad-bhaktaḥ | one who loves me, devoted to me |
| मद्याजीmad-yājī | one who offers worship to me |
| माम्mām | to me |
| नमस्कुरुnamaskuru | bow down, offer reverence |
| माम्mām | to me |
| एवeva | indeed, none other (joins with the next word as evaiṣyasi) |
| एष्यसिeṣyasi | you will come, you will arrive |
| सत्यम्satyam | truly, in truth |
| तेte | to you |
| प्रतिजानेpratijāne | I promise, I give my word |
| प्रियःpriyaḥ | dear, beloved |
| असिasi | you are (joins with the previous word as priyo 'si) |
| मेme | to me |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 65 mean?
Krishna asks for four things — the mind, the love, the worship, the bow — and all four point the same way. Then he seals it with a promise: you will come to me. The reason he gives is not Arjuna's worthiness but affection. Priyo 'si me. You are dear to me.
What does 'man-mana bhava mad-bhakto' mean in simple words?
Let your mind rest where I am, and love me. Man-manā is not concentration as a technique; it is the natural turning of attention toward what is beloved. Krishna is not asking Arjuna to add a practice to his day. He is asking for the direction the day already leans.
Why does Krishna promise Arjuna instead of just instructing him?
Because Arjuna has spent seventeen chapters afraid the outcome will go badly. Argument has not settled him. So Krishna stops teaching and gives his word — satyaṁ te pratijāne — and grounds it in affection rather than in Arjuna's performance. A promise held by love does not depend on your steadiness.
How is verse 18.65 different from 18.66?
18.65 says what to hold. 18.66 says what to let go. Together they are one motion: everything you have been gripping for safety releases, and the whole of you turns toward Krishna instead. The order matters — you are given somewhere to arrive before you are asked to leave.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Four instructions, and then a vow. Mind, devotion, worship, reverence — Krishna asks for the whole of Arjuna, not a portion set aside for religion. Then he does something the Gītā rarely does. He gives his word: satyaṁ te pratijāne, I promise you truly. Teachers explain; only a friend promises. And the ground of the promise is not Arjuna's merit, not his archery, not his lineage — priyo 'si me. You are dear to me. Nothing is held back on either side. Everything is being asked of you by someone who has already decided you are worth keeping.