This guide brings together 4 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on gratitude and thankfulness, drawn from chapters 9, 10, 12 and 18.
Gratitude in the Gita is woven into the picture of life as a cycle of giving — beings, food, rain and sacrifice all turning together. To take without offering anything back is named, plainly, as theft.
- Verse 1 of 4Bhagavad Gita 9.34 →
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु।
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣhyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me; having thus united your whole self to Me, taking Me as the supreme goal, you will come to Me.
तू मेरा भक्त हो जा, मेरेमें मनवाला हो जा, मेरा पूजन करनेवाला हो जा और मेरेको नमस्कार कर। इस प्रकार मेरे साथ अपने-आपको लगाकर, मेरे परायण हुआ तू मेरेको ही प्राप्त होगा।
- Verse 2 of 4Bhagavad Gita 10.10 →
तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम्।
teṣhāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te
To those who are ever steadfast, worshipping me with love, I give the yoga of discrimination, by which they come to me.
उन नित्य-निरन्तर मेरेमें लगे हुए और प्रेमपूर्वक मेरा भजन करनेवाले भक्तोंको मैं वह बुद्धियोग देता हूँ, जिससे उनको मेरी प्राप्ति हो जाती है।
- Verse 3 of 4Bhagavad Gita 12.13 →
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च।निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी॥
adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣhamī
He who hates no creature, is friendly and compassionate to all, is free from attachment and egoism, is balanced in pleasure and pain, and is forgiving.
सब प्राणियोंमें द्वेषभावसे रहित, सबका मित्र (प्रेमी) और दयालु, ममतारहित, अहंकाररहित, सुखदुःखकी प्राप्तिमें सम, क्षमाशील, निरन्तर सन्तुष्ट, योगी, शरीरको वशमें किये हुए, दृढ़ निश्चयवाला? मेरेमें अर्पित मनबुद्धिवाला जो मेरा भक्त है, वह मेरेको प्रिय है।
- Verse 4 of 4Bhagavad Gita 18.66 →
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
Abandoning all duties, take refuge in me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.
सब धर्मों का आश्रय त्यागकर केवल मेरी शरण में आ जा। मैं तुझे सब पापों से मुक्त कर दूँगा, तू शोक मत कर।
✦ More verses on this theme ✦
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✦ Frequently Asked Questions ✦
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about gratitude?
Krishna teaches that the higher powers give us what we need, and one who enjoys their gifts without offering anything in return is a thief (3.12). Living gratefully — and sharing — keeps the cycle of nourishment open.
Which Gita verses inspire gratitude?
Gita 3.10–13 (the cycle of sacrifice; sharing protects, hoarding stains), 9.26 (the divine accepts a leaf or flower offered with love), and 11.39 (saluting Krishna in countless forms) all cultivate a grateful heart.
How do I practise gratitude using the Gita?
Before each meal — or any small benefit — pause for a breath and silently name the source. The gratefulness deepens not by length but by repetition.
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✦ Authoritative sources ✦
Official sites of the scriptural traditions and publishing trusts behind the editions and commentaries cited on this page.
Bhagavad Gita — Encyclopædia Britannica
Bhagavad Gita — Encyclopædia Britannica.
Britannica →
Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Sringeri Sharada Peetham — the principal seat of Advaita Vedanta in the lineage of Adi Shankaracharya.
Sringeri →
Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math
Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math — institutional home of Swami Vivekananda's Vedanta teachings cited on this site.
Ramakrishna Mission →