Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6, Verse 45

प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिष: |
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् || 45||

prayatnād yatamānas tu yogī sanśhuddha-kilbiṣhaḥ
aneka-janma-sansiddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim

prayatnāt—with great effort; yatamānaḥ—endeavoring; tu—and; yogī—a yogi; sanśhuddha—purified; kilbiṣhaḥ—from material desires; aneka—after many, many; janma—births; sansiddhaḥ—attain perfection; tataḥ—then; yāti—attains; parām—the highest; gatim—path

prayatnad yatamanas tu yogi sanshuddha-kilbishah
aneka-janma-sansiddhas tato yati param gatim

Translation

BG 6.45: With the accumulated merits of many past births, when these yogis engage in sincere endeavors to make further progress, they become purified from material desires and attain perfection in this life itself.

Commentary

The accumulated practice of many past lives becomes the helpful breeze for spiritual progress. In this breeze, the yogis, continuing from past lives, hoist their sail in the form of sincere endeavor in the present life. Shree Krishna uses the words prayatnād yatamānastu, which means “striving harder than before.” The word tu indicates their present endeavor is deeper than in previous lifetimes when they were unsuccessful in completing the journey.

They are thus able to take advantage of the momentum carried forward from the past and allow the favorable wind to sweep them to the goal. To onlookers, it may seem that they covered the entire distance in the present life, but Shree Krishna says: aneka janma sansiddhaḥ “Perfection in Yog is the result of the accumulated practice of many lives.”