Bhagavad-gītā 18.45
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः।स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु।।18.45।।
sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ sansiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tach chhṛiṇu
Devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection. How engaged in his own duty, he attains perfection, that hear.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| sve sve | respectively |
| karmaṇi | work |
| abhirataḥ | fulfilling |
| sansiddhim | perfection |
| labhate | achieve |
| naraḥ | a person |
| sva-karma | to one’s own prescribed duty |
| nirataḥ | engaged |
| siddhim | perfection |
| yathā | as |
| vindati | attains |
| tat | that |
| śhṛiṇu | hear |
Keep the verse in view while connecting sve sve (respectively), sva-karma (to one’s own prescribed duty), and śhṛiṇu (hear). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to freedom through discernment and surrender. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 18.45.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the great recapitulation through renunciation, action, knowledge, duty, devotion, refuge and Sañjaya’s conclusion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection
- 2
How engaged in his own duty, he attains perfection, that hear
- 3
sve sve: respectively
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
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Link
Use the line starts: sve sve / sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ.
Cover
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Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.45, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 18.45 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.45 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.45 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.45, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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