Bhagavad Gita BG 18.46
Chapter 18, Verse 46 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥
yatah pravrttir bhutanam yena sarvam idam tatam svakarmana tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati manavah
Meaning
By worshipping, through one's own action, the one from whom all beings arise and by whom all this is pervaded — a person attains perfection.
Understanding
The mechanism of how svadharma leads to siddhi: yatah pravrttir bhutanam (from whom comes the arising of all beings — the Divine as source of creation). Yena sarvam idam tatam (by whom all this is pervaded — the Divine as the pervading ground). Svakarmana tam abhyarcya (by worshipping/honoring THAT one through one's own action). Siddhim vindati manavah (a human attains perfection). The key: any work, done with the understanding that it is worship of the Divine source, becomes a path to liberation. The farmer's farming, the warrior's fighting, the servant's service — all become yajna when offered to the Divine ground of all beings.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| प्रवृत्तिः | pravrttih | arising, activity, the source of movement |
| ततम् | tatam | pervaded, spread throughout, permeated |
| स्वकर्मणा | svakarmana | through one's own action/duty |
| अभ्यर्च्य | abhyarcya | by worshipping, by honoring, by offering |
| मानवः | manavah | a human being, one of Manu's descendants |
| यतः | yataḥ | from whom |
| प्रवृत्तिः | pravṛttiḥ | activity, the flow |
| भूतानाम् | bhūtānām | of beings |
| येन | yena | by whom |
| सर्वम् | sarvam idam | all this |
| स्व-कर्मणा | sva-karmaṇā | by one's own duty |
| तम् | tam | Him |
| सिद्धिम् | siddhim | perfection |
| विन्दति | vindati | attains |
| मानवः | mānavaḥ | a human being |