Gita Dhyanam: Meaning
The Gita Dhyanam, "meditation on the Gita", is a set of nine verses often recited before reading the Bhagavad Gita. Accounts of its origin differ: some scholars trace it to the Vaishnaviya Tantrasara, while others say tradition attributes it to Madhusudana Sarasvati. It salutes the Gita, its author Vyasa and Krishna, describes the Gita as the milk of the Upanishads, and pictures the Kurukshetra war as a river crossed with Krishna as boatman. The notes explain each image.
ॐ पार्थाय प्रतिबोधितां भगवता नारायणेन स्वयं । व्यासेन ग्रथितां पुराणमुनिना मध्ये महाभारतम् । अद्वैतामृतवर्षिणीं भगवतीमष्टादशाध्यायिनीं । अम्ब त्वामनुसन्दधामि भगवद्गीते भवद्वेषिणीम् ॥
oṁ pārthāya pratibodhitāṃ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṃ । vyāsena grathitāṃ purāṇamuninā madhye mahābhāratam । advaitāmṛtavarṣiṇīṃ bhagavatīmaṣṭādaśādhyāyinīṃ । amba tvāmanusandadhāmi bhagavadgīte bhavadveṣiṇīm ॥
पार्थाय pārthāya to Partha, Arjuna अद्वैतामृतवर्षिणीम् advaitāmṛtavarṣiṇīm raining the nectar of non-duality अष्टादशाध्यायिनीम् aṣṭādaśādhyāyinīm of eighteen chapters भवद्वेषिणीम् bhavadveṣiṇīm enemy of rebirth ॐ हे माता भगवद्गीते, जिसे स्वयं भगवान नारायण ने अर्जुन को उपदेश दिया और प्राचीन मुनि व्यास ने महाभारत के मध्य में गूँथा; अठारह अध्यायों वाली, अद्वैत के अमृत की वर्षा करने वाली, पुनर्जन्म का नाश करने वाली देवी: मैं आपका ध्यान करता हूँ।
Om. O Mother Bhagavad Gita, taught to Arjuna by Narayana himself and woven by the ancient sage Vyasa into the middle of the Mahabharata; goddess of eighteen chapters, who rains down the nectar of non-duality and destroys rebirth: on you I meditate.
The Gita is addressed as a mother (amba) and a goddess (bhagavati). It was taught by Narayana himself, that is Krishna, to Partha (Arjuna, son of Pritha), and set by Vyasa in the middle of the Mahabharata. It has eighteen chapters, rains the nectar of non-duality (advaita), and is the enemy of bhava, the cycle of rebirth.
नमोऽस्तु ते व्यास विशालबुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र । येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञानमयः प्रदीपः ॥
namo'stu te vyāsa viśālabuddhe phullāravindāyatapatranetra । yena tvayā bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ prajvālito jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ ॥
विशालबुद्धे viśālabuddhe O you of vast intellect भारततैलपूर्णः bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ filled with the oil of the Mahabharata प्रदीपः pradīpaḥ lamp हे विशाल बुद्धि वाले, खिले कमल की पंखुड़ियों जैसे नेत्रों वाले व्यास, आपको नमस्कार, जिन्होंने महाभारत रूपी तेल से भरा ज्ञान का दीपक जलाया।
Salutations to you, Vyasa of vast intellect, with eyes like the petals of a full-blown lotus, by whom the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, was lit.
Vyasa is pictured as having lit a lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata (Bharata). The Gita is the flame; the great epic is the oil that feeds it.
प्रपन्नपारिजाताय तोत्रवेत्रैकपाणये । ज्ञानमुद्राय कृष्णाय गीतामृतदुहे नमः ॥
prapannapārijātāya totravetraikapāṇaye । jñānamudrāya kṛṣṇāya gītāmṛtaduhe namaḥ ॥
प्रपन्नपारिजाताय prapannapārijātāya to the wish-fulfilling tree of those who surrender तोत्रवेत्र totravetra the driver's whip ज्ञानमुद्राय jñānamudrāya to him who shows the gesture of knowledge शरणागतों के लिए कल्पवृक्ष, एक हाथ में चाबुक लिए, ज्ञान-मुद्रा धारण करने वाले, गीता का अमृत दुहने वाले कृष्ण को नमस्कार।
Salutations to Krishna, the wish-fulfilling tree for those who take refuge in him, holding the whip in one hand and showing the gesture of knowledge, who milked the nectar of the Gita.
Krishna is described as a wish-fulfilling tree (parijata) for those who take refuge in him. In one hand he holds the driver's whip, since he is Arjuna's charioteer, and with the other he shows the jnana mudra, the gesture of teaching.
सर्वोपनिषदो गावो दोग्धा गोपालनन्दनः । पार्थो वत्सः सुधीर्भोक्ता दुग्धं गीतामृतं महत् ॥
sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ । pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīrbhoktā dugdhaṃ gītāmṛtaṃ mahat ॥
सर्वोपनिषदः sarvopaniṣadaḥ all the Upanishads दोग्धा dogdhā the milker वत्सः vatsaḥ the calf गीतामृतम् gītāmṛtam the nectar of the Gita सब उपनिषद गायें हैं, ग्वाले नंद के पुत्र दुहने वाले हैं, अर्जुन बछड़ा है, बुद्धिमान लोग पीने वाले हैं, और दूध गीता का महान अमृत है।
All the Upanishads are the cows, the son of the cowherd Nanda is the milker, Arjuna is the calf, the wise are the drinkers, and the milk is the great nectar of the Gita.
The most quoted verse: the Upanishads are cows, Krishna, the cowherd's son, milks them, Arjuna is the calf for whose sake the milk flows, the wise are those who drink it, and the milk is the Gita. It says the Gita gives the essence of the Upanishads.
वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्दनम् । देवकीपरमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
vasudevasutaṃ devaṃ kaṃsacāṇūramardanam । devakīparamānandaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ vande jagadgurum ॥
वसुदेवसुतम् vasudevasutam son of Vasudeva कंसचाणूरमर्दनम् kaṃsacāṇūramardanam slayer of Kamsa and Chanura जगद्गुरुम् jagadgurum teacher of the world वसुदेव के पुत्र, कंस और चाणूर का मर्दन करने वाले, देवकी के परम आनंद, जगद्गुरु देव कृष्ण को मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ।
I bow to Krishna, the guru of the world: the god, son of Vasudeva, slayer of Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme joy of Devaki.
A salutation to Krishna as son of Vasudeva and the joy of his mother Devaki, who killed Kamsa and the wrestler Chanura in Mathura. He is called jagadguru, the teacher of the world, since he taught the Gita.
भीष्मद्रोणतटा जयद्रथजला गान्धारनीलोत्पला । शल्यग्राहवती कृपेण वहनी कर्णेन वेलाकुला । अश्वत्थामविकर्णघोरमकरा दुर्योधनावर्तिनी । सोत्तीर्णा खलु पाण्डवै रणनदी कैवर्तकः केशवः ॥
bhīṣmadroṇataṭā jayadrathajalā gāndhāranīlotpalā । śalyagrāhavatī kṛpeṇa vahanī karṇena velākulā । aśvatthāmavikarṇaghoramakarā duryodhanāvartinī । sottīrṇā khalu pāṇḍavai raṇanadī kaivartakaḥ keśavaḥ ॥
तटाः taṭāḥ banks ग्राहवती grāhavatī full of sharks आवर्तिनी āvartinī with whirlpools कैवर्तकः kaivartakaḥ the boatman युद्ध रूपी वह नदी, जिसके किनारे भीष्म और द्रोण थे, जल जयद्रथ था, नील कमल गांधार नरेश थे, घड़ियाल शल्य थे, धारा कृप थे, लहरें कर्ण थे, भयानक मगर अश्वत्थामा और विकर्ण थे, और भँवर दुर्योधन था, उसे पांडवों ने केशव को नाविक बनाकर पार किया।
The river of battle, whose banks were Bhishma and Drona, whose water was Jayadratha, whose blue lotus was the king of Gandhara, whose crocodile was Shalya, whose current was Kripa, whose waves were Karna, whose terrible sea-monsters were Ashvatthama and Vikarna, and whose whirlpool was Duryodhana, was crossed by the Pandavas with Keshava as their boatman.
An extended image of the Kurukshetra war as a terrible river. Bhishma and Drona are its banks, Jayadratha its water, Shakuni (the king of Gandhara) its blue lily, Shalya its shark, Kripa its current, Karna its waves, Ashvatthama and Vikarna its crocodiles, and Duryodhana its whirlpool. The Pandavas crossed it because Keshava, Krishna, was their boatman.
पाराशर्यवचः सरोजममलं गीतार्थगन्धोत्कटं । नानाख्यानककेसरं हरिकथासम्बोधनाबोधितम् । लोके सज्जनषट्पदैरहरहः पेपीयमानं मुदा भूयाद्भारतपङ्कजं कलिमलप्रध्वंसि नः श्रेयसे ॥
pārāśaryavacaḥ sarojamamalaṃ gītārthagandhotkaṭaṃ । nānākhyānakakesaraṃ harikathāsambodhanābodhitam । loke sajjanaṣaṭpadairaharahaḥ pepīyamānaṃ mudā bhūyādbhāratapaṅkajaṃ kalimalapradhvaṃsi naḥ śreyase ॥
पाराशर्य pārāśarya son of Parashara, Vyasa षट्पदैः ṣaṭpadaiḥ by bees (six-footed ones) कलिमलप्रध्वंसि kalimalapradhvaṃsi destroying the impurity of the Kali age पराशर-पुत्र (व्यास) के वचनों से उत्पन्न, गीता के अर्थ की सुगंध से भरा, अनेक कथाओं रूपी केसर वाला, हरि की कथाओं से खिला, संसार में सज्जन रूपी भौंरों द्वारा प्रतिदिन आनंद से पिया जाने वाला महाभारत रूपी निर्मल कमल कलियुग के मल को नष्ट करे और हमारा कल्याण करे।
May the spotless lotus of the Mahabharata, born of the words of Parashara's son, fragrant with the meaning of the Gita, its filaments the many stories, opened by the tales of Hari, and drunk with joy day after day by the good like bees in the world, destroy the stain of the Kali age and bring us good.
Now the Mahabharata is a lotus: born from the words of Vyasa (son of Parashara), fragrant with the meaning of the Gita, its many stories the filaments, opened by the tales of Hari. Good people drink from it daily like bees. May it destroy the impurity of the Kali age.
मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिम् । यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्दमाधवम् ॥
mūkaṃ karoti vācālaṃ paṅguṃ laṅghayate girim । yatkṛpā tamahaṃ vande paramānandamādhavam ॥
मूकम् mūkam the mute वाचालम् vācālam eloquent पङ्गुम् paṅgum the lame यत्कृपा yatkṛpā whose grace मैं परमानंद माधव को प्रणाम करता हूँ, जिनकी कृपा से गूँगा बोलने लगता है और लँगड़ा पर्वत लाँघ जाता है।
I bow to Madhava, the supreme bliss, whose grace makes the mute speak and the lame cross mountains.
A widely loved verse: by Krishna's grace the mute become eloquent and the lame cross mountains. It is a statement of faith that grace can do what effort alone cannot.
यं ब्रह्मा वरुणेन्द्ररुद्रमरुतः स्तुन्वन्ति दिव्यैः स्तवैः । वेदैः साङ्गपदक्रमोपनिषदैर्गायन्ति यं सामगाः । ध्यानावस्थिततद्गतेन मनसा पश्यन्ति यं योगिनो यस्यान्तं न विदुः सुरासुरगणा देवाय तस्मै नमः ॥
yaṃ brahmā varuṇendrarudramarutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavaiḥ । vedaiḥ sāṅgapadakramopaniṣadairgāyanti yaṃ sāmagāḥ । dhyānāvasthitatadgatena manasā paśyanti yaṃ yogino yasyāntaṃ na viduḥ surāsuragaṇā devāya tasmai namaḥ ॥
सामगाः sāmagāḥ the singers of the Sama Veda योगिनः yoginaḥ yogis सुरासुरगणाः surāsuragaṇāḥ the hosts of gods and demons उन देव को नमस्कार, जिनकी ब्रह्मा, वरुण, इंद्र, रुद्र और मरुद्गण दिव्य स्तुतियों से प्रशंसा करते हैं, सामगान करने वाले अंगों, पद-क्रम और उपनिषदों सहित वेदों से जिनका गान करते हैं, योगी ध्यान में स्थित तन्मय मन से जिन्हें देखते हैं, और जिनका अंत देवता और असुर कोई नहीं जानते।
Salutations to that god whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise with divine hymns, of whom the singers of the Sama sing in the Vedas with their limbs, word-orders and Upanishads, whom yogis see with minds absorbed in meditation, and whose end neither gods nor demons know.
The last verse salutes the Supreme beyond all: praised by Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts, sung by Sama singers with all the Vedas and their limbs, seen by yogis in meditation, and whose end neither gods nor demons know.
Sources & checks
- Commentary by
- SanatanVani editorial process
- Checked by
- SanatanVani editorial process
- Sources
- Gita Dhyanam, Wikipedia (2026)
- Bhagavad Gita, Wikipedia (2026)
- Vyasa, Wikipedia (2026)