Chapter 18 · 78 verses

Moksha Sanyasa Yoga: Liberation Through Renunciation

अध्याय 18 — मोक्षसंन्यासयोग

Krishna sums up the teaching: true renunciation, doing one’s own duty, and finally surrendering everything to God — after which Arjuna is ready to act.

श्रीकृष्ण पूरे उपदेश का सार बताते हैं: सच्चा त्याग, अपने स्वधर्म का पालन, और अंत में सब कुछ भगवान को समर्पित करना — जिसके बाद अर्जुन कर्म के लिए तैयार हो जाते हैं।

Verse 18.1संन्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम् …Arjuna asks Krishna to explain clearly what sannyasa (renunciation) really is, and what tyaga (letting go) means, and how the two differ.
Verse 18.2काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः …Krishna says the wise call it sannyasa when a person gives up actions done only to fulfil selfish desires. Those with clear vision call it tyaga when a person keeps acting but lets go of clinging to the results.
Verse 18.3त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः …Some thinkers say all action should be dropped because every action has some flaw in it. Others say acts of sacrifice, giving and self-discipline should never be given up.
Verse 18.4निश्चयं श्रृणु मे तत्र त्यागे भरतसत्तम …Krishna tells Arjuna to hear His own settled view on letting go, and explains that tyaga comes in three kinds.
Verse 18.5यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् …Sacrifice, charity and self-discipline should not be abandoned; they ought to be done. These practices purify even wise people.
Verse 18.6एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च …Even these good acts should be done without attachment and without craving their rewards. Krishna says this is His firm and highest view.
Verse 18.7नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते …Giving up the duties you are meant to do is not right. Dropping them out of confusion is called tamasic renunciation — renunciation born of ignorance.
Verse 18.8दुःखमित्येव यत्कर्म कायक्लेशभयात्त्यजेत् …If someone drops a duty just because it feels painful or because they fear physical strain, that is rajasic renunciation, and it does not bring the real benefit of letting go.
Verse 18.9कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन …When a person does their duty simply because it should be done, letting go of attachment and of the desire for results, that is sattvic renunciation — the purest kind.
Verse 18.10न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते …Such a person, filled with clarity and free of doubts, does not hate unpleasant work and does not cling to pleasant work. This is a true renouncer.
Verse 18.11न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः …No one living in a body can give up action completely. So the one who gives up attachment to the fruits of action is the one truly called a renouncer.
Verse 18.12अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् …Those who stay attached to results receive the fruits of their actions after death — pleasant, unpleasant or mixed. But those who have truly let go are not bound by such results at all.
Verse 18.13पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे …Krishna tells Arjuna to learn from Him the five causes behind every action, as taught in the Sankhya philosophy.
Verse 18.14अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम् …The five causes are: the body as the base, the doer, the various senses and instruments, the many different efforts, and fifth, the divine or unseen factor.
Verse 18.15शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः …Whatever a person does with body, speech or mind — whether right or wrong — these five are its causes.
Verse 18.16तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः …So anyone who sees themselves as the only doer of their actions does not see clearly; their understanding is not yet refined.
Verse 18.17यस्य नाहंकृतो भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य न लिप्यते …One who is free from the ego's sense of 'I am doing this' and whose mind is not stained by selfish motives is not bound by action — even if, in duty, they slay in battle, they do not truly kill.
Verse 18.18ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना …Knowledge, the thing to be known and the knower are the three things that drive action. The instrument, the act itself and the doer are the three parts that make up action.
Verse 18.19ज्ञानं कर्म च कर्ता च त्रिधैव गुणभेदतः …Knowledge, action and the doer are each of three kinds, according to the three gunas (qualities of nature). Krishna asks Arjuna to listen as He explains them.
Verse 18.20सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते …Sattvic knowledge is the kind that sees one unchanging reality in all beings — seeing the undivided whole within everything that looks separate.
Verse 18.21पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् …Rajasic knowledge sees all beings as completely separate and different from each other, missing what connects them.
Verse 18.22यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम् …Tamasic knowledge clings to one small thing as if it were everything, without reason, without grasping the truth — it is narrow and shallow.
Verse 18.23नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् …Sattvic action is duty done without attachment, without liking or disliking, by someone who is not craving the reward.
Verse 18.24यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुनः …Rajasic action is done to satisfy desires or to feed one's ego, and it is carried out with a lot of strain and stress.
Verse 18.25अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् …Tamasic action is started out of confusion, without thinking of the consequences, the loss, the harm to others, or one's own ability.
Verse 18.26मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः …A sattvic doer is free from attachment and boasting, full of steadiness and enthusiasm, and stays the same whether the work succeeds or fails.
Verse 18.27रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः …A rajasic doer is driven by attachment and eager for rewards — greedy, willing to hurt others, impure, and tossed between joy and grief.
Verse 18.28अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः …A tamasic doer is undisciplined, crude, stubborn, deceitful, spiteful, lazy, gloomy and always putting things off.
Verse 18.29बुद्धेर्भेदं धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं श्रृणु …Krishna now explains, fully and one by one, the three kinds of intellect (buddhi) and of determination (dhriti), according to the gunas.
Verse 18.30प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये …A sattvic intellect knows when to act and when to step back, what should and should not be done, what to fear and what not to fear, and what binds and what frees.
Verse 18.31यया धर्ममधर्मं च कार्यं चाकार्यमेव च …A rajasic intellect misjudges right and wrong, and what should and should not be done; it sees these things in a mixed-up way.
Verse 18.32अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसाऽऽवृता …A tamasic intellect, covered in darkness, thinks wrong is right and sees everything upside down.
Verse 18.33धृत्या यया धारयते मनःप्राणेन्द्रियक्रियाः …Sattvic determination is the steady, unwavering resolve, built through yoga, by which one holds the mind, breath and senses in control.
Verse 18.34यया तु धर्मकामार्थान् धृत्या धारयतेऽर्जुन …Rajasic determination holds on to duty, pleasure and wealth, but only out of attachment and a desire for what they will bring.
Verse 18.35यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च …Tamasic determination is the stubbornness with which a foolish person refuses to let go of too much sleep, fear, grief, despair and arrogance.
Verse 18.36सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ …Krishna now describes three kinds of happiness — including the happiness a person grows to enjoy through practice, in which suffering comes to an end.
Verse 18.37यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् …Happiness that feels like poison at first but becomes like nectar in the end is sattvic. It comes from a clear, calm mind that knows itself.
Verse 18.38विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् …Happiness that comes from the senses meeting their objects feels like nectar at first but turns into poison in the end. That is rajasic happiness.
Verse 18.39यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः …Happiness that clouds the mind from beginning to end, coming from too much sleep, laziness and carelessness, is tamasic.
Verse 18.40न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः …There is no being anywhere — on earth or among the gods in heaven — that is free of these three qualities born of nature.
Verse 18.41ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप …Krishna says the work of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras is divided according to the qualities that arise from each person's own nature.
Verse 18.42शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च …Calmness, self-control, discipline, purity, patience, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and faith are the natural qualities and work of the Brahmin — a nature suited to learning and spiritual life.
Verse 18.43शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् …Courage, energy, steadiness, skill, not running from a fight, generosity and the ability to lead are the natural qualities and work of the Kshatriya — a nature suited to protecting and leading.
Verse 18.44कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् …Farming, caring for cattle and trade are work natural to the Vaishya. Service and support to others is work natural to the Shudra. Each arises from a person's own nature.
Verse 18.45स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः …By being devoted to their own work, each person reaches fulfilment. Krishna then says He will explain how this happens.
Verse 18.46यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् …The One from whom all beings come and who fills this whole world — by worshipping Him through one's own work, a person reaches fulfilment.
Verse 18.47श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् …It is better to do your own duty, even imperfectly, than to do someone else's duty well. Doing work that fits your own nature does not lead to wrongdoing.
Verse 18.48सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् …Do not give up the work that suits your nature, even if it has some flaws. Every undertaking has some fault in it, just as fire is always covered by some smoke.
Verse 18.49असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः …One whose mind is unattached everywhere, who has mastered themselves and is free of cravings, reaches through renunciation the highest state of freedom from the bondage of action.
Verse 18.50सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे …Krishna tells Arjuna to learn briefly from Him how one who has reached this perfection attains Brahman, the highest state of knowledge.
Verse 18.51बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्याऽऽत्मानं नियम्य च …With a pure intellect, controlling oneself with steady resolve, setting aside sound and the other sense objects, and dropping attraction and aversion...
Verse 18.52विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः …...living in a quiet place, eating lightly, controlling speech, body and mind, always devoted to meditation and holding firmly to detachment...
Verse 18.53अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् …...and letting go of ego, force, arrogance, desire, anger and possessiveness — free of 'mine' and at peace, such a person becomes fit to become one with Brahman.
Verse 18.54ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति …One who has become one with Brahman is calm and joyful within; they neither grieve nor crave. Seeing all beings equally, they gain the highest devotion to Krishna.
Verse 18.55भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः …Through devotion, a person comes to know Krishna as He truly is. Knowing Him in truth, they then enter into Him.
Verse 18.56सर्वकर्माण्यपि सदा कुर्वाणो मद्व्यपाश्रयः …Even while doing all kinds of work, one who takes refuge in Krishna reaches, by His grace, the eternal and unchanging home.
Verse 18.57चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः …Krishna tells Arjuna to offer all his actions to Him in his heart, to make Him the highest goal, and, resting on wise understanding, to keep his mind always on Him.
Verse 18.58मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि …With your mind on Me, you will cross every obstacle by My grace. But if, out of ego, you do not listen, you will be ruined.
Verse 18.59यदहङ्कारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे …If, out of ego, you decide 'I will not fight', that decision is useless — your own nature will push you into it anyway.
Verse 18.60स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा …Bound by the actions that come from your own nature, Arjuna, what you refuse to do out of confusion you will end up doing anyway, even against your will.
Verse 18.61ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति …The Lord lives in the heart of every being, Arjuna, moving all beings by His power, as if they were mounted on a machine.
Verse 18.62तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत …Take refuge in Him alone, with your whole being. By His grace you will find supreme peace and the eternal home.
Verse 18.63इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं मया …Krishna says He has now shared wisdom more secret than any secret. He tells Arjuna to reflect on it fully and then do as he chooses.
Verse 18.64सर्वगुह्यतमं भूयः श्रृणु मे परमं वचः …Krishna asks Arjuna to hear once more His highest and most secret word. Because Arjuna is deeply dear to Him, He will tell him what is truly good for him.
Verse 18.65मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु …Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me and bow to Me. You will surely come to Me — Krishna promises this truly, because Arjuna is dear to Him.
Verse 18.66सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज …Set aside all other duties and take refuge in Me alone. I will free you from all sins — do not grieve.
Verse 18.67इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन …Krishna says this teaching should never be told to someone who lacks self-discipline, has no devotion, does not wish to listen, or speaks ill of Him.
Verse 18.68य इमं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति …Whoever shares this supreme secret with those devoted to Krishna, with the highest devotion to Him, will surely come to Him.
Verse 18.69न च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु कश्िचन्मे प्रियकृत्तमः …No one among people does more to please Krishna than such a person, and no one on earth will ever be dearer to Him.
Verse 18.70अध्येष्यते च य इमं धर्म्यं संवादमावयोः …And whoever studies this sacred conversation between Krishna and Arjuna worships Him through the offering of knowledge — this is Krishna's view.
Verse 18.71श्रद्धावाननसूयश्च श्रृणुयादपि यो नरः …Even a person who simply listens to it with faith and without finding fault will be freed, and will reach the happy worlds of those who do good.
Verse 18.72कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा …Krishna asks Arjuna: Have you heard this with a focused mind? Has your confusion, born of ignorance, now gone away?
Verse 18.73नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत …Arjuna replies that his confusion is gone and his true understanding has returned by Krishna's grace. He stands firm, free of doubt, and will do as Krishna says.
Verse 18.74इत्यहं वासुदेवस्य पार्थस्य च महात्मनः …Sanjaya says that he has heard this wonderful conversation between Krishna and the great-souled Arjuna, and it made his hair stand on end.
Verse 18.75व्यासप्रसादाच्छ्रुतवानेतद्गुह्यमहं परम् …By the grace of Vyasa, Sanjaya says, he heard this supreme and secret yoga directly from Krishna, the master of yoga, as He spoke it Himself.
Verse 18.76राजन्संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य संवादमिममद्भुतम् …Sanjaya tells King Dhritarashtra that each time he remembers this wonderful and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, he feels joy again and again.
Verse 18.77तच्च संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य रूपमत्यद्भुतं हरेः …And each time he recalls the astonishing form of Krishna, Sanjaya is filled with great wonder and rejoices again and again.
Verse 18.78यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः …Sanjaya concludes: wherever there is Krishna, the master of yoga, and Arjuna, the archer, there will surely be good fortune, victory, prosperity and right conduct. This is his firm belief.