Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 6, Verse 45
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम्।।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम्।।
prayatnād yatamānas tu yogī sanśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ
aneka-janma-sansiddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
also searched as "prayatnad yatamanas tu yogi samshuddha kilbishah"
Translation
But the yogi, striving earnestly, cleansed of all his stains and perfected through many births, reaches the supreme state.
Vāṇi's rendering
Striving on, washed of sin, ripened through many births — the yogi at last reaches the highest way.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| प्रयत्नात्prayatnāt | through sustained effort, by persevering |
| यतमानःyatamānaḥ | striving, exerting himself (sandhi: yatamānas tu) |
| तुtu | but, and indeed |
| योगीyogī | the yogi |
| संशुद्धकिल्बिषःsanśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ | one whose stain and wrongdoing has been thoroughly washed away |
| अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धःaneka-janma-sansiddhaḥ | brought to completion across many births (sandhi: sansiddhas tato) |
| ततःtataḥ | then, from that |
| यातिyāti | goes, reaches |
| पराम्parāṁ | supreme, highest |
| गतिम्gatim | the way, the destination |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 45 mean?
It means the effort you make does not expire when you do. The yogi who keeps striving is gradually cleansed of what stains him, and the work of many lives ripens into arrival at the highest way. Krishna is closing Arjuna's fear that a partial practice ends in nothing.
What does 'prayatnad yatamanas tu yogi' teach about effort?
That effort is cumulative, not decorative. Prayatna is the deliberate, repeated exertion that does not depend on immediate results. Krishna does not promise the summit in this lifetime. He promises that every honest attempt is deposited somewhere, and that the striving is itself the cleansing.
Why does the Gita say perfection takes many births?
Because saṁskāras run deep and do not surrender to a season of enthusiasm. Krishna is being realistic with Arjuna, not discouraging. If perfection took one life, most would despair by forty. Since it does not, today's practice matters exactly as much as it can — and no less.
Does this verse mean I can relax since it takes many lifetimes?
No. The verse rests on yatamānaḥ — one who is striving, present tense. The long horizon removes panic, not exertion. You are freed from anxiety about arriving, and returned to the practice in front of you this morning. That is where the washing happens.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Nothing is wasted. Arjuna asked what becomes of the one who tries and falls short, and Krishna has been answering for several verses — the good worlds, then the good birth, then the old practice returning unbidden. Here the arc closes: the striving itself carries over. Many births, one work. What you did not finish this time is not lost; it waits like tools left where the next hand can find them. Sin is not pardoned away here, it is worn away by effort, the way water clears a channel. Keep striving. The arithmetic is longer than one life.