Bhagavad Gita BG 5.17
Chapter 5, Verse 17 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस् तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः । गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः ॥
tad-buddhayas tad-atmanas tan-nishthAs tat-parayanah gacchanty apunar-avritim jnana-nirdhuta-kalmashAh
Meaning
Those whose intellect is absorbed in THAT, whose self is THAT, who are established in THAT, who have THAT as their supreme goal — they reach non-return, sins washed away by knowledge.
Understanding
Four-fold description of the liberated person, all anchored in 'tat' (THAT — the Supreme): tad-buddhi (intellect directed to THAT), tad-atman (self identified as THAT), tan-nishtha (established in THAT), and tat-parayana (THAT as supreme goal). The fruit: apunar-avrtti — non-return, liberation from rebirth. The means: jnana-nirdhuta-kalmasha — impurities shaken off (nirdhuta — like dust shaken from a cloth) by knowledge.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| तद्बुद्धयः | tad-buddhayas | those whose intellect is absorbed in That |
| तन्निष्ठाः | tan-nishthAh | established in That, rooted in That |
| अपुनरावृत्तिम् | apunar-avritim | non-return, the state of no rebirth |
| निर्धूत | nirdhuta | shaken off, dispelled (like dust from a cloth) |
| कल्मषाः | kalmashAh | impurities, sins, stains |
| तदात्मानः | tad-ātmānaḥ | whose self is that / absorbed in that (the Supreme) |
| तत्परायणाः | tat-parāyaṇāḥ | devoted to that / with that as their supreme goal |
| गच्छन्ति | gacchanti | go / attain / reach |
| ज्ञान | jñāna | knowledge / wisdom (that purifies) |