Bhagavad Gita BG 18.50
Chapter 18, Verse 50 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे । समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ॥
siddhim prapto yatha brahma tath-apnoti nibodha me samasenaiva kaunteya nishtha jnanasya ya para
Meaning
How one who has attained perfection also attains Brahman — learn of that from Me briefly, O Kaunteya. It is the supreme state of knowledge.
Understanding
The transition from siddhi (perfection, the naishkarmya state) to Brahman realization: yatha brahma apnoti (how one attains Brahman). Nibodha me samasenai va (learn this from Me, briefly). Nishtha jnanasya ya para (it is the supreme established state of knowledge). The teaching is that siddhi (perfection in svadharma + naishkarmya) is not the final goal — it is the doorway to Brahman. The sequence: svadharma → samsiddhi → naishkarmya → Brahman. The next verses will describe the qualities that take one from siddhi to Brahman.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सिद्धिम् | siddhim | perfection, the accomplished state |
| ब्रह्म | brahma | Brahman (the Absolute) |
| निबोध | nibodha | learn, understand, know |
| समासेन | samasena | briefly, in summary |
| निष्ठा | nishtha | established state, firm foundation, culmination |
| प्राप्तः | prāptaḥ | having attained |
| यथा | yathā | how |
| तथा | tathā | so |
| आप्नोति | āpnoti | attains |
| मे | me | from Me |
| समासेन | samāsena eva | briefly indeed |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | O son of Kunti |
| निष्ठा | niṣṭhā | the stage |
| ज्ञानस्य | jñānasya | of knowledge |
| या | yā | which |
| परा | parā | the highest |