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Chapter 12 · Verse 11 · Bhakti Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 12.11

surrendering Bhakti & Devotion Attachment & Letting Go Karma & Action

Sanskrit

अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः।सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान्।।12.11।।

Transliteration

athaitad apy aśhakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśhritaḥ sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān

Word by Word

atha if
etat this
api even
aśhaktaḥ unable
asi you are
kartum to work
mad-yogam with devotion to me
āśhritaḥ taking refuge
sarva-karma of all actions
phala-tyāgam to renounce the fruits
tataḥ then
kuru do
yata-ātma-vān be situated in the self
Simplified Perspective

When the heart cannot yet sustain constant devotion, Krishna offers a gateway: release yourself from grasping the fruits of your work. This is not renunciation of action itself, but renunciation of the ego's hunger for results—a path that quiets the mind and opens the door to true surrender.

Even in your ordinary duties, when you work without claiming ownership of outcomes, you become an instrument of divine will rather than a slave to desire. This ancient wisdom speaks directly to modern overwhelm: stop chasing results, tend to your work with integrity, and watch how freedom blooms.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 12.11 — BG 12.11

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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