Loading...
Current layer: Translation
Chapter 18 • Verse 23
The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation
MEANING & CONTEXT
Krishna begins explaining the three kinds of action, starting with sattvic action. 'Niyataṁ saṅga-rahitam arāga-dveṣataḥ kṛtam'—that action which is prescribed (niyatam), performed (kṛtam) without attachment (saṅga-rahitam), without desire and aversion (arāga-dveṣataḥ). 'Aphala-prepṣunā karma yat tat sāttvikam ucyate'—by one who does not desire fruits (aphala-prepṣunā), that action (yat karma) is called (ucyate) sattvic (sāttvikam). This is sattvic action: performing prescribed duty (yajña, dāna, tapaḥ) without attachment, without desire or aversion, without desiring fruits. This is the highest kind of action: duty-based, detached, balanced. You perform what you should perform (niyatam) because it's your duty, not because you're attached to it or want specific results. This is the path: duty without attachment to action or fruits, without desire or aversion.
Explore Human Experiences
How this ancient wisdom applies to your daily life
Key Takeaway
This verse explains sattvic action: that action which is prescribed (niyataṁ), performed without attachment (saṅga-rahitam), without desire and aversion (arāga-dveṣataḥ), by one who does not desire fruits (aphala-prepṣunā), is called sattvic (yat tat sāttvikam ucyate). This is the highest kind of action: duty-based, detached, balanced. You perform what you should perform because it's your duty, not because you're attached to it or want specific results. You're not driven by desire for success or aversion to failure—you're balanced. This is the path: duty without attachment to action or fruits, without desire or aversion. When you understand this, you realize: you can perform necessary actions with freedom, if you act without attachment and without desire and aversion.
Personal Reflection
Are you performing actions with attachment, desire, and aversion? Are you driven by wanting success and avoiding failure? What would change if you understood sattvic action—performing duty without attachment, without desire and aversion, without desiring fruits?
Shortcuts
←/→ Verses
↑/↓ Layers