Gita 18.55

Chapter 18: Liberation

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Gita 18.55
भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः। ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम्॥

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram

"Through devotion one comes to know Me, what and who I am in truth. Then, knowing Me in truth, one enters into Me immediately."

What This Means:

Only through devotion can you truly know Krishna - who and what He really is. Once you know Him truly, you immediately enter into union with Him.

Going Deeper:

'Bhaktya' emphasizes that devotion is the final means of knowing God truly ('tattvatah'). 'Yavan yah cha' - how great and who I am - indicates the full scope and personal nature of divine knowledge. 'Vishate' - enters into - describes union. 'Tad-anantaram' - immediately after - shows that true knowledge and union are not separated by time.

How To Apply This:

Intellectual understanding isn't enough. Devotion is what allows true knowing. Love your way into the truth - then union follows naturally.

Key Sanskrit Terms:

Bhakti= devotionAbhijanati= comes to know fullyTattvatah= in truth, in realityVishate= enters into