Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 78

Chapter 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Sanjaya

Sanskrit verse

यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः ।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥

Transliteration

yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanurdharaḥ .
tatra śrīrvijayo bhūtirdhruvā nītirmatirmama ॥

Meaning

Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of yoga, and wherever there is Partha, the wielder of the bow, there surely are fortune, victory, prosperity and unwavering righteousness. This is my conviction.

Word meanings

यत्र – wherever
योगेश्वरः – the Lord of yoga
कृष्णः – Krishna
यत्र – wherever
पार्थः – Partha, Arjuna
धनुर्धरः – wielder of the bow
तत्र – there
श्रीः – fortune, Lakshmi, splendour
विजयः – victory
भूतिः – prosperity, flourishing
ध्रुवा – firm, unwavering
नीतिः – righteous conduct, just order
मतिः – conviction
मम – my

Anvaya (word order)

यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णः, यत्र धनुर्धरः पार्थः, तत्र श्रीः विजयः भूतिः ध्रुवा नीतिः (च) — (इति) मम मतिः ।

Explanation

This is the final verse of the Gita, and it brings the whole Gita to a majestic conclusion. The Gita's first verse was Dhritarashtra's question — dharma-kshetre kuru-kshetre... kim akurvata sanjaya (1.1) — 'What did my sons and the Pandavas do at Kurukshetra?' Hidden within that question was an anxiety: what will be the outcome of the war? After seven hundred verses, in the final verse, Sanjaya answers — and his answer rests not on a count of armies but on a spiritual truth.

Sanjaya names the meeting of two powers. Yatra yogeshvarah krishnah — wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of yoga. Krishna here stands for wisdom, divine grace, dharma and guidance. Yatra partho dhanur-dharah — wherever there is Partha, the wielder of the bow. Arjuna here stands for action, effort, skill and dedicated human endeavour. Dhanur-dhara, 'bearing the bow', shows that Arjuna has now risen from his despondency and once more taken up the Gandiva.

Where these two are together — divine guidance and dedicated human effort — four things are certain. Shrih — fortune, prosperity and splendour. Vijayah — victory, success. Bhutih — flourishing, continual growth and well-being. And dhruva nitih — unwavering righteousness: lasting justice, a dharmic order and right conduct. Note that these are not merely material success; dhruva niti shows that this success is grounded in dharma and therefore endures.

Matir mama — this is my conviction. Sanjaya, minister and charioteer to Dhritarashtra, speaks this truth fearlessly before his own master. It carries a final, gentle yet clear message for the king: O King, victory will belong to the Pandavas, for Krishna is with them; there is still time to turn your sons from the path of adharma. Sanjaya's courage here is an example of devotion to truth.

Shankara explains the verse briefly: on the side where Krishna, the Lord of yoga, and Arjuna, the bowman, stand, there are fortune, victory, prosperity and firm policy. Ramanuja stresses that Krishna is the Lord of all yogas — the treasury of all knowledge, sovereignty, power and strength — and Arjuna his dependent devotee; so where devotee and Lord are together, all good follows of itself. Many commentators see in this meeting of Yogeshvara and Dhanurdhara the harmony of knowledge and action, devotion and effort, divine grace and human endeavour — the essence of the entire Gita.

This verse is not only about the Mahabharata war but a timeless principle for every age, every person and every society. In a life where there is both God's guidance (Krishna) and honest, skilful effort (Arjuna with his bow), prosperity, success, growth and moral stability are sure to come. Prayer without effort, or effort without remembrance of God — each alone is incomplete. The Gita calls us to walk with both together.

Thus the Gita, which began with dharma-kshetre, 'on the field of dharma', ends with dhruva nitih, 'unwavering righteousness' — beginning in dharma, and fulfilled in the lasting victory of dharma.

Context

This is the last verse of the Gita. In the preceding verses Sanjaya described his joy and wonder in recalling the dialogue and the cosmic form. This verse is the final answer to Dhritarashtra's first question (1.1) and the conclusion of the entire Gita. With it the eighteenth chapter and the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita are complete.

Life lesson

Success in life requires both God's guidance and your own honest, skilful effort. Where dharma, devotion and endeavour come together, prosperity, victory, growth and lasting justice follow naturally. Have the courage to speak the truth fearlessly, yet with humility.

Key terms

Yogeshvara Krishna: The Lord of all yogas — symbol of divine wisdom and grace
Dhanurdhara Partha: Arjuna bearing the bow — symbol of dedicated human effort
Shri: Fortune, prosperity, splendour
Vijaya: Victory, success
Bhuti: Flourishing, continual growth
Dhruva niti: Unwavering righteousness — lasting justice and dharmic order