Mahakatha
M 80% OFF

Chapter 18 · Verse 7 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.7

philosophical Dharma & Duty Attachment & Letting Go Jnana & Wisdom

Sanskrit

नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते।मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः।।18.7।।

Transliteration

niyatasya tu sannyāsaḥ karmaṇo nopapadyate mohāt tasya parityāgas tāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

Word by Word

niyatasya of prescribed duties
tu but
sanyāsaḥ renunciation
karmaṇaḥ actions
na never
upapadyate to be performed
mohāt deluded
tasya of that
parityāgaḥ renunciation
tāmasaḥ in the mode of ignorance
parikīrtitaḥ has been declared
Simplified Perspective

Krishna draws a crucial distinction here between true renunciation and the delusion of abandonment. When we shirk our prescribed duties out of confusion or overwhelm, thinking this is spiritual detachment, we only deepen our entanglement in ignorance.

True sanyasa flowers from clarity and wisdom, not from fear or denial—it is the courageous completion of what dharma calls us to do, performed with equanimity and without attachment to results. In modern life, this means we cannot escape our responsibilities by calling avoidance 'detachment'; authentic spirituality asks us to engage fully with our work, relationships, and roles while releasing our grip on outcomes.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 18.7 — BG 18.7

0:00
Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

Your Mantra Prescription

This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?

2.2M people trust Mahakatha