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Chapter 5 · Verse 13 · Karma Sanyasa Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 5.13

serene Karma & Action Attachment & Letting Go Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते सुखं वशी। नवद्वारे पुरे देही नैव कुर्वन्न कारयन्।।5.13।।

Transliteration

sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśhī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na kārayan

Word by Word

sarva all
karmāṇi activities
manasā by the mind
sannyasya having renounced
āste remains
sukham happily
vaśhī the self-controlled
nava-dvāre of nine gates
pure in the city
dehī the embodied being
na never
eva certainly
kurvan doing anything
na not
kārayan causing to be done
Simplified Perspective

When you renounce all actions mentally—offering them to the Divine rather than claiming ownership—you become the witness, not the doer. The body-mind moves through its nine gates (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, and two lower openings), yet the true self remains untouched, acting without attachment or consequence.

This is not passivity; it is the deepest freedom, where you move through life with skillful action while knowing deeply that the eternal witness in you neither does nor causes anything. Modern seekers discover this same peace when they learn to hold their responsibilities lightly, surrendering the fruits rather than abandoning the work itself.

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Bhagavad Gita 5.13 — BG 5.13

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

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