Toward the Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion, Krishna opens his heart in a stirring declaration of love. 18.65 and 18.66 are often celebrated as moving outpourings of Krishna’s heart — and they certainly are. Yet Krishna precedes them with a love-filled verse that contains five intensifiers, something not present in any other Gita verse. 18.64 is like a statement by a speaker to prime the audience: “I will now state the most important point of this talk.”

Let’s consider this verse’s five intensifiers:

  1. sarva-guhyatamam (Most confidential): By stating that what follows is rarely revealed, Krishna commands Arjuna’s attention.
  2. paramam-vacah (Supreme words): Everything confidential may not always be important. By stating that what follows is also his supreme message, Krishna makes his subsequent words even more irresistibly intriguing. 
  3. ishto (Dear): By stating that Arjuna is dear to him, Krishna underscores that he is speaking out of love, not out of any obligation 
  4. dridham (Determined): Krishna had earlier described that his devotees are determined to serve him (09.14: dridha-vratah). Here, he declares that he already and always does for Arjuna what he expects from his devotees — Krishna is determined to love Arjuna, even if Arjuna somehow turns away from him.  
  5. te hitam (For your benefit): To appreciate this intensifier’s significance, let’s consider its context. The previous verse (18.63) indicates that Krishna has concluded his message — Krishna told Arjuna: deliberate and do as your desire. Then why did Krishna continue after concluding? This phrase answers: “For Arjuna’s benefit” When Krishna saw Arjuna struggling to discern the exact call for action amid the Gita’s multi-level message, Krishna decided to clarify by speaking further for Arjuna’s benefit. And what followed is indeed an unambiguous expression of Krishna’s love-surcharged direction and invitation (18.65-66).

One-sentence summary: 

By using five intensifiers in the verse preceding the Gita’s two concluding verses, Krishna reveals how love fills his heart — and how the subsequent verses are outpourings of that love. 

Think it over:

  • What is the significance of Gita 18.64?
  • What are the five intensifiers in Gita 18.64?
  • Which of these intensifiers touches you the most? 

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18.64: Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.

Krishna’s most emphatic declaration of love in the Gita

To know more about this verse, please click on the image