Chapter 18 · Verse 35 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 18.35
Sanskrit
यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च।न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी।।18.35।।
Transliteration
yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śhokaṁ viṣhādaṁ madam eva cha na vimuñchati durmedhā dhṛitiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
In plain words
You know how anxiety whispers the same dark stories over and over—fear, shame, despair, ego protecting itself—and you can't seem to break free? Krishna says that's not weakness; that's a kind of resolve that has lost its way, feeding on delusion instead of truth. The strength you need isn't harder willpower; it's clarity—seeing the story for what it is, and choosing to look away.
Word by Word
This verse reveals the nature of tamasic resolve—a dharma that binds rather than liberates. When the mind is clouded by ignorance, our willpower becomes enslaved to dreams, fears, sorrows, despair, and ego, unable to release its grip on these shadows.
The Vedantic insight here is that true strength lies not in rigid willpower, but in clarity of vision—a resolve grounded in wisdom that naturally dissolves delusion. For the modern seeker, this teaches us to examine whether our discipline serves awakening or merely reinforces our prisons of anxiety, shame, and self-deception.
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Bhagavad Gita 18.35 — BG 18.35
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This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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