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Chapter 18 · Verse 60 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.60

empowering Karma & Action Dharma & Duty Self & Identity

Sanskrit

स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा।कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोऽपि तत्।।18.60।।

Transliteration

swbhāva-jena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā kartuṁ nechchhasi yan mohāt kariṣhyasy avaśho ’pi tat

Word by Word

swabhāva-jena born of one’s own material nature
kaunteya Arjun, the son of Kunti
nibaddhaḥ bound
svena by your own
karmaṇā actions
kartum to do
na not
ichchhasi you wish
yat which
mohāt out of delusion
kariṣhyasi you will do
avaśhaḥ helplessly
api even though
tat that
Simplified Perspective

Krishna reveals the final paradox of human existence: you are bound by your own nature, yet you imagine yourself free to choose otherwise. The delusion is not that you act—it is that you believe your refusal to act is itself a choice.

When you resist your dharma through fear or ego, you still act, but now enslaved to that very resistance. In modern life, recognize that postponing a difficult conversation, avoiding a responsibility, or denying your gifts are all actions too—and they carry their own consequences, often heavier than the path you were meant to walk.

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Bhagavad Gita 18.60 — BG 18.60

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

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