Gita 05.26 – Success on the spiritual path will come surely and soon

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kāma-krodha-vimuktānāṁ
yatīnāṁ yata-cetasām
abhito brahma-nirvāṇaṁ
vartate viditātmanām (Bg 5.26)

Word-for-word:
kāma — from desires; krodha — and anger; vimuktānām — of those who are liberated; yatīnām — of the saintly persons; yata-cetasām — who have full control over the mind; abhitaḥ — assured in the near future; brahma-nirvāṇam — liberation in the Supreme; vartate — is there; vidita-ātmanām — of those who are self-realized.

Translation:
Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.

Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa, in this verse, speaks about how a serious seeker can attain liberation. He says:
kāma-krodha-vimuktānām: Of those who are free from lust (kāma) and anger (krodha),
yatīnām yata-cetasām: of the saintly persons, detached, and having fully controlled their minds,
abhito brahma-nirvāṇam: such a person is certainly assured of attaining Brahman in the near future.
vartate viditātmanām: This is possible for those who are disciplined, regulated, and self-controlled.

This verse serves as a recap and reassurance of the statements Kṛṣṇa has already made in the previous verses. In 5.23, He spoke about controlling desire and anger: śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ.

There, He emphasized tolerating the urges of desire and anger. Here, He repeats the same point but takes it further. Now, He describes the seeker who has advanced to the stage of being actually freed from them (vimuktānām). By tolerating and repeatedly saying no, these urges gradually subside—kāma-krodha-vimuktānām.

Next, He says yatīnām yata-cetasām. The word ‘yati’ technically means a renunciate, but it can also be understood more broadly to refer to anyone aspiring for a destination beyond this world.

Kāma and krodha—the desire to enjoy the world and the urge to harm it when it denies our enjoyment—are the two primary emotions that bind us to this world. Those who are on the path headed beyond this world must give up these two emotions—yatīnām yata-cetasām. The term ‘yata-cetasām’ indicates that the essence of self-control lies in controlling one’s consciousness, in mastering the mind.

Kṛṣṇa explains that those who free themselves from these binding passions, who aspire for a reality beyond this world, and who regulate and discipline their mind, for them abhitaḥ—liberation—is assured. The word ‘abhitaḥ’ conveys both certainty and soon. Their ultimate destination is not far away. Kṛṣṇa is giving a firm guarantee—it will certainly come.

Of course, this is not yet a personal guarantee from Kṛṣṇa, since He has not formally introduced Himself as the Supreme until later in the Gītā. The phrase ‘abhito brahma-nirvāṇam’ is to be understood in the sense that this time-honored process—practicing karma-yoga and gradually attaining realization of Brahman—will naturally yield its result.

The last line of this verse is ‘vartate viditātmanām.’ The word ‘vartate’ indicates that brahma-nirvāṇa—liberation in the Supreme—awaits such seekers. Viditātmanām refers to those who have understood and disciplined themselves. Here, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes two aspects—renunciation and regulation. Renunciation means giving up the passions that bind us to this world, and regulation means directing the consciousness so that it does not again become entangled in those passions. Those who practice both—renunciation and regulation—are assured of attaining liberation.

Here, Kṛṣṇa speaks of brahma-nirvāṇa for the third time in three successive verses. In 5.24, He says: yo ’ntaḥ-sukho ’ntar-ārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇam brahma-bhūto ’dhigacchati. There also, the word ‘brahma-nirvāṇa’ was mentioned. Its first occurrence in the Gītā, however, is found in 2.72: eṣā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati sthitvāsyām anta-kāle ’pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati.

Again, the word appears in 5.25: labhante brahma-nirvāṇam, and in this verse (5.26) as abhito brahma-nirvāṇam vartate. The two expressions—labhante brahma-nirvāṇam and abhito brahma-nirvāṇam vartate—convey a similar meaning. The difference is that in this verse, with the use of abhito and vartate, there is an implied assurance, along with a sense of immediacy—that liberation is not far off, that it is certain and approaching without much delay.

If we look at the flow of the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa conclusively establishes the supremacy of bhakti-yoga. At the same time, He does not dismiss the other processes; they too have value and contribute to spiritual growth. We see this accommodating spirit at the start of this chapter, when He responds to Arjuna’s question by saying that both karma-sannyāsa and karma-yoga are good—sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau (5.2). Yet, He immediately clarifies, tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyate—between the two, karma-yoga is superior to karma-sannyāsa.

Thus, Kṛṣṇa never rejects any path that leads to genuine spiritual progress. Later, in 6.40, He will explicitly affirm that anyone who has taken to the auspicious path of transcendence will never meet with destruction. He calls such adoption of any yoga leading beyond this world as kalyāṇa-kṛt—an auspicious undertaking.

Here, Kṛṣṇa does not disapprove of the path of karma-yoga, which has been the main focus of this chapter. Notably, in this section there is no use of the word ‘mam’—that comes only in the concluding verse. What we do find is the word ‘tad,’ referring to the Absolute Truth. This ‘tad’ has been emphatically present earlier, and here it is replaced by ‘brahma.’ For example, in 5.17: tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ.

The word ‘tad’—indicating a focus on the Absolute—will gradually unfold in the progression of the Gītā as Brahman, Paramātmā, and ultimately Bhagavān.

At this stage, Kṛṣṇa has revealed that the ‘tad’ is Brahman, and accordingly He speaks of the corresponding concept of liberation—brahma-nirvāṇam, the cessation of material existence and the transition to an existence on the Brahman platform of reality. The broad contours of the process described in this verse apply not only to karma-yoga but also to bhakti-yoga. Specifically, however, this verse—and indeed this chapter—are focused on karma-yoga. Thus, Kṛṣṇa indicates that even on the path of karma-yoga, if a seeker does not yet have knowledge of the personal Absolute, still such a seeker can attain brahma-nirvāṇam. And not only can he attain it, but abhito brahma-nirvāṇam—he can attain it soon.

Thus, we see Kṛṣṇa’s inclusive spirit—His recommendation of the highest path does not result in a denunciation of other paths, but rather in reassurance for those who follow them, reflecting His broad and accommodating nature.

Thank you.