Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 6, Verse 44
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते।।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते।।
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśo ’pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya śabda-brahmātivartate
also searched as "purvabhyasena tenaiva hriyate hyavasho pi sah"
Translation
By the power of his earlier practice, he is carried forward even against his will. Even though he is an enquirer about Yoga, he transcends the Sabda-Brahman, i.e., Prakṛti or matter.
Vāṇi's rendering
His old practice pulls him forward, even against his will. Even one who merely seeks passes beyond ritual.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पूर्वाभ्यासेनpūrva-abhyāsena | by the practice done in the former life (pūrva + abhyāsena joined by sandhi) |
| तेनtena | by that |
| एवeva | alone, that very |
| ह्रियतेhriyate | he is carried, pulled along |
| हिhi | indeed |
| अवशःavaśaḥ | without choice, helpless (appears as hy-avaśo by sandhi) |
| अपिapi | even |
| सःsaḥ | he |
| जिज्ञासुःjijñāsur | one who merely wishes to know |
| अपिapi | even |
| योगस्यyogasya | of yoga |
| शब्दब्रह्मśabda-brahma | the Brahman of sacred sound — scripture recited, ritual correctly performed |
| अतिवर्ततेativartate | goes past, rises beyond |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 44 mean?
It means the discipline of an earlier life does not die with the body. It waits, and when the seeker returns it takes hold of him and draws him on, even where his new mind resists. And the mere wish to know yoga already carries him past the world of correct ritual.
What is the meaning of 'purvabhyasena tenaiva hriyate'?
Hriyate is a strong word — carried off, swept. Krishna is not describing a gentle memory of old habits. The former practice seizes the person and moves him, avaśaḥ, without his consent. Old sādhanā becomes a current beneath the surface of a new life.
What is shabda-brahma and why is it transcended here?
Śabda-brahma is Brahman met through sacred sound: scripture chanted, rites performed exactly, merit earned by correct procedure. It is real and it is not the end. Krishna says the one who has merely begun to want yoga has already stepped past that whole territory, without having finished anything.
Does this verse mean spiritual effort is never wasted?
Yes, and more bluntly than comfort usually allows. Effort is not stored as a reward to be paid out later; it becomes the shape of what pulls you. Whatever you practise now is quietly deciding the direction you will be dragged in when you are no longer choosing.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Nothing you have practiced is lost. Krishna is answering Arjuna's fear that a life of effort, cut short, is wasted effort — and the answer is almost physical: the old practice takes hold of the man again and pulls, whether he consents or not. He is helpless before his own past discipline. That is the mercy in it. Then the second half, quieter and stranger: even one who only wants to know yoga has already passed beyond ritual, beyond correct words correctly said. Wanting is not nothing. The asking already moved you further than any ceremony could.