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Chapter 18 · Verse 1 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.1

contemplative Karma & Action Attachment & Letting Go Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

अर्जुन उवाच संन्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम्। त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश पृथक्केशिनिषूदन।।18.1।।

Transliteration

arjuna uvācha sannyāsasya mahā-bāho tattvam ichchhāmi veditum tyāgasya cha hṛiṣhīkeśha pṛithak keśhi-niṣhūdana

Word by Word

arjunaḥ uvācha Arjun said
sanyāsasya of renunciation of actions
mahā-bāho mighty-armed one
tattvam the truth
ichchhāmi I wish
veditum to understand
tyāgasya of renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions
cha and
hṛiṣhīkeśha Krishna, the Lord of the senses
pṛithak distinctively
keśhī-niṣhūdana Krishna, the killer of the Keshi demon
Simplified Perspective

After eighteen chapters of sacred dialogue, Arjuna returns to the fundamental question that has pursued him all along: what is the true renunciation that liberates the soul? He asks Krishna to distinguish between sanyasa—the renunciation of action itself—and tyaga—the renunciation of desire and attachment to results.

This is the threshold question of every seeker: must I withdraw from life to find freedom, or can freedom bloom within full engagement? For modern seekers caught between duty and liberation, this verse invites you to examine whether you're running from the world or transcending it from within.

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Bhagavad Gita 18.1 — BG 18.1

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

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