सर्वगुह्यतमं भूय: शृणु मे परमं वच: ।
इष्टोऽसि मे दृढमिति ततो वक्ष्यामि ते हितम् ॥
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ |
iṣṭo’si me dṛḍham iti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 18.64)
“Again hear my supreme advice, most confidential of all. You are exceedingly dear to me. Thus, I will speak of [the highest] good for you.”
Alternate translation:
“Again hear my supreme advice, most confidential of all. You are dear to me and firm in this regard. Thus, I will speak of [the highest] good for you.”
Commentary
ati-gambhīraṁ gītā-śāstram aśeṣataḥ paryālocayitum aśaknuvataḥ kṛpayā svayam eva tasya sāraṁ saṅgṛhya kathayati—sarva-guhyatamam iti tribhiḥ | sarvebhyo’pi guhyebhyo guhyatamaṁ me vacas tatra tatroktam api bhūyaḥ punar api vakṣyamāṇaṁ śṛṇu | punaḥ punaḥ kathane hetum āha—dṛḍham atyantaṁ me mama tvam iṣṭaḥ priyo’sīti matvā | tata eva hetos te hitaṁ vakṣyāmi | yad vā, tvaṁ mameṣṭo’si mayā vakṣyamāṇaṁ ca dṛḍhaṁ sarva-pramāṇopetam iti niścitya tatas te vakṣyāmīty arthaḥ | dṛḍha-matir iti kecit paṭhanti |
(Subodhinī-ṭīkā)
“For those who are unable to contemplate in full this exceedingly profound Gīta-śāstra, he graciously personally collects and states its essence with three [verses]: sarva-guhyatamam … [i.e., he speaks BG 18.64–66]. ‘Although my most confidential advice in comparison even to all [of it] that is confidential, has been stated [by me] here and there [throughout our conversation, i.e., throughout this Gītā-śāstra], hear it is being spoken again (bhūyaḥ).’ He states the reason for speaking [this supreme advice] again and again: ‘Considering that you are exceedingly (dṛḍham) dear (iṣṭaḥ) to me (me).’ ‘Thus’ (tataḥ), meaning, ‘for this reason, I will speak of [the highest] good for you.’ Alternately, the meaning is as follows: ‘You are dear to me and you have determined that what is going to be stated by me is ‘firm’ (dṛḍham), that is, arrived at [i.e., affirmed] by all valid means of knowing (pramāṇas). Thus, I will state [that] for you.’ Some read dṛḍha-matiḥ [i.e., ‘of firm resolve’ instead of dṛḍham iti, in which case the meaning of the second half of the verse is as follows: ‘You are dear to me and of firm resolve. Thus, I will speak of [the highest] good for you’].”
tataś cātigambhīrārthaṁ gītā-śāstraṁ paryālocayitum pravartamānaṁ tuṣṇīmbhūyaiva sthitaṁ sva-priya-sakham arjunam ālakṣya kṛpā-dravac-citta-navanīto bhagavān ‘bhoḥ priya-vayasya arjuna, sarva-śāstra-sāram aham eva ślokāṣṭakena bravīmi | alaṁ te tat-tat-paryālocana-kleśenety āha—sarveti | bhūya iti rāja-vidyā-rāja-guhyādhyāyānte pūrvam uktam ‘man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru | mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ ||’ iti | yat tad eva paramaṁ sarva-śāstrārtha-sārasya gītā-śāstrasyāpi sāram | guhyatamam iti nātaḥ paraṁ kiñcana guhyam asti kvacit kutaścit katham apy akhaṇḍam iti bhāvaḥ | punaḥ kathane hetum āha—iṣṭo’si me dṛḍham atiśayena eva priyo me sakhā bhavasīti tata eva hetor hitaṁ te iti sakhāyaṁ vinātirahasyaṁ na kam api kaścid api brūta iti bhāvaḥ | dṛḍha-matir iti ca pāṭhaḥ |
(Sārārtha-varṣinī-ṭīkā)
“Thereafter, observing his dear friend Arjuna silently standing and proceeding to contemplate this exceedingly profound Gīta-śāstra, Bhagavān, the butter of his heart melting out of grace, says, ‘O dear friend Arjuna, with eight verses I myself will state the essence of all śāstras. Enough with the hardship of your contemplating them all.’ Thus, he says sarva … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Regarding ‘again’ (bhūyaḥ), that which was spoken [by me] previously at the end of the chapter on the king of knowledges (rāja-vidyā) and king of the confidential [i.e., king of confidential teachings] (rāja-guhya) [i.e., in BG 9.34], ‘Be of mind fixed on me, [be] my bhakta, [be] my worshipper. Offer obeisance to me; certainly you will come to me, having engaged your self [i.e., the body and mind] in this way as one sheltered in me,’ is the essence even of this Gītā-śāstra, which is possessed of the essence of the meaning of all śāstras. Regarding ‘most confidential’ (guhyatamam), the purport is that there is nothing more confidential than this anywhere and it remains undiminished by anything by any means. [Then,] He states the reason for speaking [this supreme advice] again: you are exceedingly (dṛḍham) dear to me, that is, you are my beloved friend. ‘Thus’ (tataḥ), meaning, for this reason, I will speak of [the highest] good for you. The purport is that without friendship, no one speaks of something greatly esoteric to anyone. Some read dṛḍha-matiḥ [i.e., ‘of firm resolve’ instead of dṛḍham iti, in which case the meaning of the second half of the verse is as follows: ‘You are dear to me and of firm resolve. Thus, I will speak of [the highest] good for you’].”
atha nirapekṣāṇāṁ sādhana-sādhya-paddhatim upadeksyann ādau tāṁ stauti—sarveti | sarveṣu guhyeṣu madhye’tiśayitaṁ guhyam iti sarva-guhyatamam | bhūya iti rāja-vidyādhyāye ‘man-manā bhava’ ity-ādinā pūrvam api mamātipriyatvād ante punar ucyamānaṁ śṛṇu | paramaṁ sarva-sārasyāpi gītā-śāstrasya sārabhūtam | punaḥ kathanena hetuḥ—iṣṭo’sīti tvaṁ mameṣṭaḥ priyatamo’si | mad-vākyaṁ dṛḍhaṁ nikhila-pramāṇopetam iti niścinoṣy atas te hitaṁ vakṣyāmi | tvayāpy etad evānuṣṭheyam iti bhāvaḥ |
(Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā)
“Now, he first praises and then teaches the path of practice (sādhana) and attainment (sādhya) of the nirapekṣas: sarva … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘Most confidential of all’ (sarva-guhyatamam) means exceedingly confidential among everything confidential. Regarding, ‘again’ (bhūyaḥ), [the sense is as follows:] because of [your] being exceedingly dear to me, hear being spoken again at the end [the statement], ‘Be of mind fixed on me …’ although [this statement was] previously [spoken] in the chapter on the king of knowledges (rāja-vidyā) [i.e., in BG 9.34]. ‘Supreme’ (paramam) means the essential substance of the Gītā-śāstra, which is even the essence of all [the śāstras]. The reason for speaking [this supreme advice] again is [indicated by the statement] iṣṭo’si: you are dearmost (iṣṭaḥ) to me. You have determined my speech to be ‘firm’ (dṛḍhaṁ), that is, arrived at [i.e., affirmed] by all valid means of knowing (pramāṇas). Thus, I will speak of [the highest] good for you. This [i.e., what I will now advise is the highest good for you] alone is to be performed by you as well. This is the purport.”