Bhagavad-gītā 18.52
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः।ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः।।18.52।।
vivikta-sevī laghv-āśhī yata-vāk-kāya-mānasaḥ dhyāna-yoga-paro nityaṁ vairāgyaṁ samupāśhritaḥ
Enjoying solitude, being abstemious, having his body, mind, and speech under perfect control, and being absorbed in meditation, he becomes free:always filled with the spirit of renunciation.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| vivikta-sevī | relishing solitude |
| laghu-āśhī | eating light |
| yata | controls |
| vāk | speech |
| kāya | body |
| mānasaḥ | and mind |
| dhyāna-yoga-paraḥ | engaged in meditation |
| nityam | always |
| vairāgyam | dispassion |
| samupāśhritaḥ | having taken shelter of |
The spiritual vibrations in solitude are wonderfully elevating. Meditation will come by itself without exertion.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Follow the great recapitulation through renunciation, action, knowledge, duty, devotion, refuge and Sañjaya’s conclusion.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaOne who resorts to solitude, eats sparingly, has control over their speech, body, and mind, for whom meditation and concentration are ever the highest duty, and who is possessed of dispassion;
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaResorting to solitude, eating sparingly, restraining speech, body, and mind, ever engaged in the yoga of meditation and taking refuge in dispassion;
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe spiritual vibrations in solitude are wonderfully elevating. Meditation will come by itself without exertion.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
Enjoying solitude, being abstemious, having his body, mind
- 2
speech under perfect control
- 3
being absorbed in meditation, he becomes free
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