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Chapter 18 · Verse 3 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.3

philosophical Karma & Action Dharma & Duty Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः। यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे।।18.3।।

Transliteration

tyājyaṁ doṣha-vad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣhiṇaḥ yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam iti chāpare

Word by Word

tyājyam should be given up
doṣha-vat as evil
iti thus
eke some
karma actions
prāhuḥ declare
manīṣhiṇaḥ the learned
yajña sacrifice
dāna charity
tapaḥ penance
karma acts
na never
tyājyam should be abandoned
iti thus
cha and
apare others
Simplified Perspective

The awakened ones have always disagreed on this threshold question: does the seeker abandon all action to reach freedom, or does action itself become the gateway? Lord Krishna reveals here that both views contain a seed of truth, yet both miss the flower.

When you act from duty without ego—offering sacrifice, sharing wealth, purifying yourself through discipline—you are not bound by action; the action dissolves into offering. In your own life, the question is not whether to act or renounce, but whether you can perform your responsibilities with such inner freedom that you remain untouched by their results.

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Bhagavad Gita 18.3 — BG 18.3

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

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