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Chapter 18 · Verse 24 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.24

contemplative Karma & Action Attachment & Letting Go Self & Identity

Sanskrit

यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुनः।क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम्।।18.24।।

Transliteration

yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhankāreṇa vā punaḥ kriyate bahulāyāsaṁ tad rājasam udāhṛitam

Word by Word

yat which
tu but
kāma-īpsunā prompted by selfish desire
karma action
sa-ahaṅkāreṇa with pride
or
punaḥ again
kriyate enacted
bahula-āyāsam stressfully
tat that
rājasam in the nature of passion
udāhṛitam is said to be
Simplified Perspective

When action springs from the thirst for personal gain and the ego's hunger for recognition, it becomes a restless, exhausting burden—this is the mark of rajasic work, which keeps the soul entangled in the wheel of becoming. The Upanishads teach us that such action, though it may appear productive, actually distances us from our true nature because it feeds the illusion of the separate doer.

In our modern lives, this reveals itself whenever we chase success for validation, work to prove ourselves, or hustle with the constant anxiety of never being enough—we can pause and ask: whose desire am I truly serving here, and at what cost to my peace?

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Bhagavad Gita 18.24 — BG 18.24

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

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