bhagavad-gitagitakrishnamoksha-sannyasa-yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.55 — Bhaktya Mam Abhijanati

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता १८.५५ — भक्त्या मामभिजानाति

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 During morning meditation or evening devotional practice (bhakti sadhana)·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 55

Also known as: bhaktya mam abhijanati · tato mam tattvato jnatva · bhagavad gita 18.55 · gita 18 55 · knowing god through devotion · vishate tad anantaram

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

In this culminating teaching of the eighteenth chapter, Krishna declares that He is truly known only through loving devotion (bhakti). Such knowledge is not mere intellectual information but a direct realization of who and how great the Lord is. Having known Him in truth through devotion, the devotee immediately enters into Him — attaining union with the Supreme. This verse beautifully establishes bhakti as the crown and culmination of all spiritual paths.

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 55 · Sage Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (text compiled c. 5th–2nd century BCE)

In the eighteenth and final chapter, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Krishna gathers the threads of His entire teaching. Having described the soul established in Brahman, He declares that the Supreme is known in truth only through devotion, and that the one who so knows Him enters into Him. This verse forms the gateway to the Gita's closing teaching of surrender.

✦ As told in scripture

The great devotional traditions hold that bhakti alone unlocks the deepest knowledge of God — that even the loftiest scholarship cannot reach where a single tear of true love arrives, for the Lord Himself reveals His nature to the heart that loves Him.

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The Mantra

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

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaśh chāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśhate tad-anantaram

Meaning:By devotion he comes to know Me in truth — what and how great I am; then, having known Me in truth, he forthwith enters into Me.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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भक्त्या🔊bhaktyāby loving devotion

माम्🔊māmMe

अभिजानाति🔊abhijānātione comes to know truly

यावान्🔊yāvānas much as; how great

यः च अस्मि🔊yaḥ cha asmiwho and what I am

तत्त्वतः🔊tattvataḥin truth; in reality

ततः🔊tataḥthen; thereafter

माम्🔊māmMe

तत्त्वतः🔊tattvataḥin truth

ज्ञात्वा🔊jñātvāhaving known

विशते🔊viśhateenters; merges into

तदनन्तरम्🔊tat-anantaramimmediately thereafter

Benefits of Chanting Bhagavad Gita 18.55 — Bhaktya Mam Abhijanati

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Establishes loving devotion (bhakti) as the supreme means of knowing God

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Assures the devotee that true knowledge of the Lord leads to union with Him

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Teaches that realization, not mere intellect, is the goal of spiritual practice

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Inspires deeper, heartfelt devotion as the crown of all yogas

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Reminds the seeker that the Lord can indeed be known 'in truth' (tattvatah)

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Offers the promise of entering into the Supreme through devotion

How to Chant Bhagavad Gita 18.55 — Bhaktya Mam Abhijanati

Repetitions11times

Best TimeDuring morning meditation or evening devotional practice (bhakti sadhana)

Chant this verse while cultivating loving devotion to the Lord. As you recite, dwell on the assurance that sincere bhakti leads to true knowledge of God, and that such knowledge culminates in entering into Him. Let the verse deepen your prayer from seeking information about the Divine to longing for direct, loving realization. It pairs naturally with the surrender verses 18.62 and 18.66 that follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Krishna teaches that He is truly known only through bhakti, loving devotion. This is not intellectual knowledge but a direct realization of who and how great the Lord is, and through it the devotee comes to enter into Him.

'Vishate' means the devotee, having realized God in truth, attains intimate union with Him — abiding in His being. It describes the soul's highest attainment, entering the Supreme reality through the power of devotion.

After teaching the paths of action and knowledge throughout the Gita, Krishna here crowns them with devotion. He declares that bhakti is the means by which He is truly known and reached, presenting loving devotion as the culmination of all spiritual practice.

This verse leads into Krishna's final teachings of surrender, including 18.62 ('take refuge in Him') and the famous 18.66 ('abandon all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone'). Together they present devotion and surrender as the heart of the Gita's conclusion.