मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु । माम् एवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियो ऽसि मे ॥
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṃ namaskuru | mām evaiṣyasi satyaṃ te pratijāne priyo 'si me ||
Mind-in-Me, devotee, worshiper, bow to Me — you will come to Me; truly I promise, you are dear to Me.
Word by word (3)
- man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṃ namaskuru
- — be one whose mind is in Me (man-manā = mat + manā = My-minded), be My devotee (mad-bhakto = mad + bhakta = My-devotee), be My worshiper (mad-yājī = mad + yājī = My-sacrificer/worshiper, from yaj = to sacrifice/worship), bow down to Me (mām namaskuru = to-Me bow-down) — four-fold bhakti practice: mind-in-Me, devotion, worship-sacrifice, prostration
- mām evaiṣyasi satyaṃ te pratijāne priyo 'si me
- — you will come to Me (mām eva eṣyasi = to Me alone you will come, future), truly (satyam) I promise (pratijāne = I pledge, from prati + jñā = to formally-promise) to you (te) — because you are dear to Me (priyaḥ asi me = dear you-are to-Me) — the solemn divine promise: these four practices = certain arrival at the Divine, guaranteed by love
- satyaṃ pratijāne priyo 'si me
- — truly I promise because you are dear to Me; satyam (truth/truly) + pratijāne (I promise) + priyo 'si me (you are dear) — the three elements of the promise: its truth-content, the divine commitment to it, and the love that grounds the commitment. This is the most personal promise in the Gita — not 'one who does X will attain Y' (third-person) but 'you (Arjuna/beloved student) will come to Me (first-person), truly, I promise, because you are dear to Me'
Be one whose mind is in Me, be My devotee, be My worshiper, bow down to Me. You will come to Me. Truly I promise you — for you are dear to Me.
A modern analogy
V65 gives the four-fold bhakti practice in its simplest, most direct form: mind-in-Me (man-manā), devotion (mad-bhakta), worship/sacrifice (mad-yājī), prostration (namaskuru). And the result: mām eva eṣyasi — you WILL come to Me. The guarantee is grounded in love: priyo 'si me (you are dear to Me). This is the Gita's most intimate verse before V66.
V65 is the four-fold bhakti-practice verse that serves as the immediate precursor to V66's sarva-dharmān parityajya. The verse nearly echoes Ch.9 V34 (man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām namaskuru) — but here it is followed by the explicit promise + the reason-of-love (priyo 'si me). V65 is the most tender verse in the Gita: 'do these four, you will come to Me, I promise, because you are dear to Me.' This sets the emotional register for V66's even more radical teaching.
Mām evaiṣyasi (you will come to Me) with eva (only/alone) is significant: not just come to a higher state but come to Me specifically — the personal Divine. This is the Gita's distinctive contribution: not mere liberation into formless Brahman but specific coming-to-Krishna/the-Personal-Divine. The promise is personal (te = to you), emphatic (satyam = truly), and grounded in love (priyo 'si me = dear are you to Me). The entire 17+ chapters of teaching are gathered into this one personal invitation.
Advaita lens
Man-manā bhava (be-mind-in-Me) is, from the advaita standpoint, the invitation to abide in the true Self (ātman = the 'Me' Krishna refers to at its deepest level). The four practices of V65 are the means by which the mind is progressively purified and oriented toward its source (ātman/Brahman). Mām eva eṣyasi (come to Me alone) = return to your own nature as Brahman. Satyam te pratijāne (truly I promise) = the truth of ātman-brahma identity is certain.
Bhakti lens
V65 is the epitome of the Gita's bhakti teaching. Man-manā (mind-in-Me) + mad-bhakta (My-devotee) + mad-yājī (My-worshiper) + namaskuru (bow-down) form the complete four-fold bhakti practice. The divine promise (mām eva eṣyasi) is the bhakti path's guarantee: this path WORKS. Priyo 'si me (you are dear to Me) is the theological foundation of bhakti: the Divine loves the devotee; that love is real; the path of bhakti is the response to that love already present.
Karma-Yoga lens
V65 from the karma-yoga perspective: man-manā (mind-in-Me = internal surrender) + mad-yājī (worshiper = offering all actions) forms the karma-yoga inner structure. The karma-yogī who makes every action an offering to the Divine (mad-yājī = My sacrificer/worshiper) is practicing V65's four-fold path through their work. Mām namaskuru (bow to Me) is the constant inner attitude of the karma-yogī: each action is a bow, a surrender of the doer-identity to the one true Doer.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Fix thy thought on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, do homage to Me. Thou shalt reach Myself. The truth do I declare to thee; thou art dear to Me. [1]
Occupy thy mind with Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt reach Myself; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou art dear to Me. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Set thy heart on Me, become My devotee, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Then shalt thou come to Me. I declare to thee truly, for thou art dear to Me. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Even if the most sinful worships Me with undivided devotion — he must be deemed righteous, for he has rightly resolved.
Destroyed is my delusion, memory restored by Your grace — I stand firm, free of doubt, and will do Your word.
Like a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise one withdraws senses from objects. Wisdom stands firm.
Control all senses, sit in yoga focused on the Supreme — that one's wisdom stands unshakable.
Bound by your svabhāva-born karma, what from delusion you don't wish to do — you will do even helplessly.
This teaching is never to be given to the non-ascetic, non-devotee, non-service-minded, or one who criticizes Me.