Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 62

Chapter 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत ।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥

Transliteration

tameva śaraṇaṃ gaccha sarvabhāvena bhārata .
tatprasādātparāṃ śāntiṃ sthānaṃ prāpsyasi śāśvatam ॥

Meaning

Take refuge in him alone with your whole being, O Bharata. By his grace you will attain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

Word meanings

तम् – in him
एव – alone
शरणम् – refuge
गच्छ – go
सर्वभावेन – with your whole being
भारत – O descendant of Bharata
तत्प्रसादात् – by his grace
पराम् – supreme
शान्तिम् – peace
स्थानम् – abode
प्राप्स्यसि – you will attain
शाश्वतम् – eternal

Anvaya (word order)

भारत, सर्वभावेन तम् एव शरणं गच्छ; तत्प्रसादात् परां शान्तिं शाश्वतं स्थानं (च) प्राप्स्यसि ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna showed that the Lord dwells in the hearts of all and moves them. Now comes the natural conclusion: tam eva sharanam gaccha — take refuge in him alone. Since everything is in his hands, wisdom lies in taking refuge in the Almighty rather than clinging to one's own ego and limited reasoning.

The word eva, 'alone', is significant. In him alone — not in wealth, status, relationships or one's own strength. All other refuges are temporary and incomplete; only the Supreme is a lasting refuge.

Sarva-bhavena, 'with your whole being', means with mind, speech, body and intellect — with one's entire existence. Surrender cannot be partial. It is not that we trust God in some matters and ourselves in others. Shankara explains it as 'in every way — in thought, word and deed'.

The fruit of surrender is given in two forms. Param shantim — supreme peace, unshaken by any circumstance. This peace comes naturally when the burden of ego is laid down. Sthanam shashvatam — the eternal abode, the supreme state of the Lord from which there is no return. And all this comes tat-prasadat — by his grace, not by the power of one's own effort.

This verse prepares for the culminating verse 18.66. Here Krishna speaks of taking refuge in 'him', the Lord, in the third person; in 18.66 he will reveal himself and say, mam ekam sharanam vraja — 'take refuge in me alone'. Thus the secret of the Gita unfolds step by step: the Lord within the heart and the Krishna standing before Arjuna are one and the same.

Context

In the previous verse Krishna said the Lord dwells in the hearts of all and moves them. This verse teaches complete surrender to that Lord. In the next verse (18.63) Krishna says that he has given Arjuna this more-secret-than-secret knowledge, and that he should reflect on it fully and then do as he wishes.

Life lesson

In life's greatest crises, rely on God's grace rather than your limited strength. Surrender must be wholehearted, not half-hearted. When the burden of ego is laid down, a peace arrives that no circumstance can take away.

Key terms

Sharanagati: Complete self-surrender to God
Sarva-bhava: With one's whole being — mind, speech and body
Para shanti: Supreme, unshakeable peace
Shashvata sthana: The eternal abode of the Lord
Tat-prasada: His grace