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Bhagavad Gita · 18.9 · Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender·9 of 78

कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुनसङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः

kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṁ kriyate ‘rjuna

saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalaṁ chaiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ

Sanskrit recitation

True renunciation · 18.1–18.12 · Teaching

Translation

Whatever obligatory action is done, O Arjuna, merely because it ought to be done, abandoning attachment and also the desire for reward, that renunciation is regarded as sattvic (pure).

Meaning

A man of pure nature performs actions that have fallen to his lot in accordance with his capacity and his inherent nature. He is not filled with the pride that he is the performer of such actions nor does he hope for any gain therefrom.An ignorant man may think that the obligatory duties may produce their fruits for the performer by causing selfpurification and preventing the sin of omission or nonperformance. This sort of thinking and expectation of rewards also must be abandoned. Abandonment of the rewards of actions is praised in this verse.When a man does obligatory duties without agency and with unselfishness and egolessness his,mind is purified, his Antahkarana is prepared for the reception of the divine light or the dawn of Selfknowledge. He gradually becomes fit for devotion to knowledge (JnanaNishtha).The aspirant or seeker after liberation should be prepared to undergo physical sufferings. All acts of selfdiscipline and selfsacrifice entail physical suffering.This, again, is the central teaching of the Gita -- do your duty without attachment and selfish desires.

After Swami Sivananda

True renunciation· 18.1–18.12

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

Word-by-word
cha
and
eva
certainly
iti
as
yat
which
saḥ
such
arjuna
Arjun
phalam
reward
kriyate
are performed
kāryam
as a duty
mataḥ
considered
saṅgam
attachment
tyaktvā
relinquishing
tyāgaḥ
renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions
sāttvikaḥ
in the mode of goodness
karma niyatam
obligatory actions

Related verses

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