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Chapter 18 · Verse 35 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.35

transformative Jnana & Wisdom Mind & Meditation Attachment & Letting Go

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

Word by Word

yayā in which
svapnam dreaming
bhayam fearing
śhokam grieving
viṣhādam despair
madam conceit
eva indeed
cha and
na not
vimuñchati give up
durmedhā unintelligent
dhṛitiḥ resolve
that
pārtha Arjun, the son of Pritha
tāmasī in the mode of ignorance
Simplified Perspective

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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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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