Chapter 18, Verse 6
एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च | कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ||१८-६||
etānyapi tu karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalāni ca . kartavyānīti me pārtha niścitaṃ matamuttamam ||18-6||
Meaning
18.6 But even these actions should be performed leaving aside attachment and the desire for rewards, O Arjuna; this is My certain and best conviction.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna refines his teaching with a crucial qualifier. Even the purifying acts — sacrifice, charity, austerity — must be performed sanga tyaktva, free from attachment, and without craving their rewards. Otherwise even good deeds bind the soul through the ego's pride and expectation.
This is the heart of karma yoga compressed into a single line. The action stays; only the clinging departs. Krishna marks this as his nishchitam matam uttamam — his settled, supreme conviction — signaling that detached performance of duty is not one option among many but the very crown of his entire teaching.
💡 Key Takeaway
Do your duties fully, but release your grip on attachment and rewards — that is the highest path.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः | सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः ||१८-२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . kāmyānāṃ karmaṇāṃ nyāsaṃ saṃnyāsaṃ kavayo viduḥ . sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ prāhustyāgaṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ ||18-2||
18.2 The Blessed Lord said The sages understand Sannyasa to be the renunciation of action with desire; the wise declare the abandonment of the fruits of all actions as Tyaga.
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् | यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ||१८-५||
yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyaṃ kāryameva tat . yajño dānaṃ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām ||18-5||
18.5 Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed; sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise.
नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते | मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः ||१८-७||
niyatasya tu saṃnyāsaḥ karmaṇo nopapadyate . mohāttasya parityāgastāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ ||18-7||
18.7 Verily the renunciation of obligatory action is not proper; the abandonment of the same from delusion is declared to be Tamasic.