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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 18 | Verse 23

Chapter 18, Verse 23

The Perfection of Renunciation

As for actions, that action in accordance with duty, which is performed without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced fruitive results, is called action in the mode of goodness.

Verse

नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम्।अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते।।18.23।।


niyataṁ saṅga-rahitam arāga-dveṣhataḥ kṛitam
aphala-prepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikam uchyate

Meaning of each word

niyatam — in accordance with scriptures;
saṅga-rahitam — free from attachment;
arāga-dveṣhataḥ — free from attachment and aversion;
kṛitam — done;
aphala-prepsunā — without desire for rewards;
karma — action;
yat — which;
tat — that;
sāttvikam — in the mode of goodness;
uchyate — is called

Interpretation

This verse is all about how to perform our duties in life in a good and positive way. It tells us that when we do our responsibilities—like our jobs, taking care of family, or helping others—we should do them according to the guidance or rules set out in our beliefs or traditions.

1. **Following Duties**: First, it emphasizes that we should follow the duties that are meant for us. These duties are not random; they are outlined in our scriptures or teachings. They help us understand what our roles are in society, based on our skills and responsibilities. For example, a teacher has the duty to educate students, while a farmer must grow food.

2. **Performing Without Attachment**: Next, the verse says we should do these tasks without attachment. This means we shouldn’t be overly attached to the outcomes. Instead of thinking about how much we can gain from our work, we should approach it with a mindset of just doing what needs to be done. For example, if a doctor treats patients, they should focus on helping people rather than just thinking about money or recognition they might receive.

3. **Free from Love or Hate**: The verse also states that our actions should be free from feelings of love or hatred. This means we should do our duties without being overly emotional, whether positively or negatively. If a coworker annoys you, for instance, you should still do your job well—without letting those negative feelings affect your work. Similarly, we shouldn’t just perform our tasks favorably for loved ones; instead, we should treat everyone impartially.

4. **Renouncing Fruitive Results**: Finally, it mentions that one should renounce the desire for rewards. Instead of focusing on what we get in return—like praise, admiration, or success—we should act with the intention of fulfilling our duty. We should aim to make a difference in the world or satisfy a higher purpose, such as the Supreme or a greater good. This is like doing volunteer work; we do it to help others rather than seeking a reward or recognition.

When we approach our actions in this way, it is called performing in the 'mode of goodness.' This means that the energy behind our actions is pure and selfless. In summary, this verse teaches that by letting go of personal gains and emotions in our actions, we can contribute positively to our life and society. We become better individuals by focusing on duty, responsibility, and a higher purpose.

Other Verses of Chapter 18
Verse 1
Arjuna said, O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation [tyaga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyasa], O killer of the Kesi demon, Hrsikesa.
Verse 2
The Supreme Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called renunciation by the wise. And that state is called the renounced order of life by great learned men.
Verse 3
Some wise people say that all actions that have rewards should be given up. However, other wise people say that certain important actions like sacrifices, charity (giving to others), and penance (self-discipline) should never be given up.
Verse 4
O best of the Bharatas, hear from Me now about renunciation. O tiger among men, there are three kinds of renunciation declared in the scriptures.
Verse 5
Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.
Verse 6
All these activities should be performed without any expectation of result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Prtha. That is My final opinion.
Verse 7
Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If, by illusion, one gives up his prescribed duties, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Verse 8
Anyone who gives up their necessary work because they find it hard or feel scared is acting out of a passionate attitude. This kind of giving up does not help them move towards true renunciation.
Verse 9
But he who performs his prescribed duty only because it ought to be done, and renounces all attachment to the fruit—his renunciation is of the nature of goodness, O Arjuna.
Verse 10
Those who are in a good state of mind do not dislike doing bad work or get too attached to good work. They are sure about what needs to be done.
Verse 11
It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities. Therefore it is said that he who renounces the fruits of action is one who has truly renounced.
Verse 12
For one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action—desirable, undesirable, and mixed—accrue after death. But those who are in the renounced order of life have no such results to suffer or enjoy.
Verse 13
Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna, these five causes, as declared in the Sankhya system, for the accomplishment of all actions.
Verse 14
The body, the doer, the various senses, the different functions of various kinds, and the presiding deity—the fifth.
Verse 15
Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors.
Verse 16
Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as they are.
Verse 17
One who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, though he kills men in this world, is not the slayer. Nor is he bound by his actions.
Verse 18
Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower are the three factors which motivate action; the senses, the work and the doer comprise the threefold basis of action.
Verse 19
In accordance with the three modes of material nature, there are three kinds of knowledge, action, and performers of action. Listen as I describe them.
Verse 20
That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of goodness.
Verse 21
That knowledge by which a different type of living entity is seen to be dwelling in different bodies is knowledge in the mode of passion.
Verse 22
And that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager, is said to be in the mode of darkness.
Verse 24
But action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires, and which is enacted from a sense of false ego, is called action in the mode of passion.
Verse 25
And that action performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration of future bondage or consequences, which inflicts injury and is impractical, is said to be action in the mode of ignorance.
Verse 26
The worker who is free from all material attachments and false ego, who is enthusiastic and resolute and who is indifferent to success or failure, is a worker in the mode of goodness.
Verse 27
But that worker who is attached to the fruits of his labor and who passionately wants to enjoy them, who is greedy, envious and impure and moved by happiness and distress, is a worker in the mode of passion.
Verse 28
And that worker who is always engaged in work against the injunction of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in insulting others, who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating, is a worker in the mode of ignorance.
Verse 29
Now, O winner of wealth, please listen as I tell you in detail of the three kinds of understanding and determination according to the three modes of nature.
Verse 30
O son of Prtha, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, that understanding is established in the mode of goodness.
Verse 31
And that understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and action that should not be done, that imperfect understanding, O son of Prtha, is in the mode of passion.
Verse 32
That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Partha, is in the mode of ignorance.
Verse 33
O son of Prtha, that determination which is unbreakable, which is sustained with steadfastness by yoga practice, and thus controls the mind, life, and the acts of the senses, is in the mode of goodness.
Verse 34
And that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive result in religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the nature of passion, O Arjuna.
Verse 35
And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness, and illusion-such unintelligent determination is in the mode of darkness.
Verse 36
And now, O Arjuna, hear from Me of the threefold pleasure, in which one rejoices through practice and surely comes to the end of pain.
Verse 37
That which is like poison at first but in the end like nectar—that happiness is declared to be sattvic, born of the purity of one's own mind due to self-realization.
Verse 38
That happiness which comes from the connection of our senses with what we experience, which feels very sweet at first but turns sour later, is said to be the kind that comes from passion.
Verse 39
And that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.
Verse 40
There is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, which is freed from the three modes of material nature.
Verse 41
Brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by their qualities of work, O chastiser of the enemy, in accordance with the modes of nature.
Verse 42
Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness-these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work.
Verse 43
Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership are the qualities of work for the ksatriyas.
Verse 44
Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities of work for the vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others.
Verse 45
By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.
Verse 46
By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.
Verse 47
It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Prescribed duties, according to one's nature, are never affected by sinful reactions.
Verse 48
Every endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.
Verse 49
One can obtain the results of renunciation simply by self-control and by becoming unattached to material things and disregarding material enjoyments. That is the highest perfectional stage of renunciation.
Verse 50
O son of Kunti, learn from Me in brief how one can attain to the supreme perfectional stage, Brahman, by acting in the way which I shall now summarize.
Verse 51
Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self through firmness, relinquishing sound and other objects and abandoning attraction and hatred.
Verse 52
Dwelling in solitude, eating sparingly, with speech, body, and mind subdued, always engaged in meditation and concentration, and resorting to dispassion.
Verse 53
Having abandoned egoism, strength, arrogance, desire, anger, and covetousness, and being free from the notion of 'mine' and peaceful, he is fit for becoming Brahman.
Verse 54
One who is truly connected to the Supreme Spirit understands and experiences inner peace. Such a person does not feel sadness or a strong desire for anything. They treat all beings equally and, in this state, they achieve a deep connection and service to Me.
Verse 55
One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Verse 56
Though engaged in all kinds of activities, My devotee, under My protection, reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.
Verse 57
In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.
Verse 58
If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.
Verse 59
If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.
Verse 60
Under illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But, compelled by your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of Kunti.
Verse 61
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
Verse 62
O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.
Verse 63
Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
Verse 64
Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.
Verse 65
Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.
Verse 66
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
Verse 67
This confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.
Verse 68
For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.
Verse 69
There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.
Verse 70
And I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation worships Me by his intelligence.
Verse 71
And one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reaction and attains to the planets where the pious dwell.
Verse 72
O conqueror of wealth, Arjuna, have you heard this attentively with your mind? And are your illusions and ignorance now dispelled?
Verse 73
Arjuna said, My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
Verse 74
Sanjaya said: Thus have I heard the conversation of two great souls, Krsna and Arjuna. And so wonderful is that message that my hair is standing on end.
Verse 75
By the mercy of Vyasa, I have heard these most confidential talks directly from the master of all mysticism, Krsna, who was speaking personally to Arjuna.
Verse 76
O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krsna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.
Verse 77
O King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Krsna, I am struck with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.
Verse 78
Wherever there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
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