Chapter 18 · Verse 3 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 18.3
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
In plain words
You're caught between two voices: one saying *stop trying, let go, surrender everything*—and another saying *you have to keep working, keep fighting, keep doing.* Both sound true, which is why you're exhausted. Krishna says the trap is not in the doing itself; it's in how much of yourself you're pouring into the outcome. Your marriage, your job, your healing—these still need your hands and your heart. But they don't need your desperation. Act like you're making an offering, not grasping for a result, and the weight can feel lighter.
Word by Word
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.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 18.3 — BG 18.3
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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