Bhagavad-gītā 5.17
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः। गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः।।5.17।।
tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣhṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ gachchhantyapunar-āvṛittiṁ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣhāḥ
Those who have their intellect absorbed in That, whose self is That, whose steadfastness is in That, whose consummation is That, their impurities cleansed by knowledge, they attain to Non-return (Moksha).
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 |
|---|---|
| tat-buddhayaḥ | those whose intellect is directed toward God |
| tat-ātmānaḥ | those whose heart (mind and intellect) is solely absorbed in God |
| tat-niṣhṭhāḥ | those whose intellect has firm faith in God |
| tat-parāyaṇāḥ | those who strive after God as the supreme goal and refuge |
| gachchhanti | go |
| apunaḥ-āvṛittim | not returning |
| jñāna | by knowledge |
| nirdhūta | dispelled |
| kalmaṣhāḥ | sins |
Use the word map to follow the relation among tat-buddhayaḥ (those whose intellect is directed toward God), gachchhanti (go), and kalmaṣhāḥ (sins). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to renunciation within responsible work. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 5.17.
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: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
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
Those who have their intellect absorbed in That, whose self is That, whose steadfastness is in That, whose consummation is That, their impurities cleansed by knowledge, they attain to Non-return (Moksha)
- 2
tat-buddhayaḥ: those whose intellect is directed toward God
- 3
gachchhanti: go
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.17, 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 5.17 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 5.17 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 5.17 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.17, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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