Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 46

यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः

yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṃ yena sarvamidaṃ tatam | svakarmaṇā tamabhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ

Translation

Him from whom is the evolution of (all) beings, by whom all this is pervaded — by worshipping Him with his proper duty, man attains perfection.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

yataḥ

from whom

pravṛttiḥ

forthcoming

bhūtānām

of beings

yena

by whom

sarvam

all

idam

this

tatam

spread

svakarmaṇā

by own-action

tam

Him

abhyarcya

having worshipped

siddhim

perfection

vindati

finds

mānavaḥ

man

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

'Pravṛtti' may mean either evolution or activity; and it proceeds from the Īśvara, the Antaryāmin, the Ruler within. Beings: living creatures. His proper duty: each according to his caste. Worshipping the Lord by performing his duty, man attains perfection, in so far only as he becomes qualified for the devotion of knowledge (jñāna-niṣṭha).