Be capable without selfish expectation.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः |सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ||१२-१६||
anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ . sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||12-16||
Use this verse for work without ego-validation.
Meaning
The devotee who is free from expectation, pure, capable, impartial, free from distress, and renounces selfish undertakings is dear to Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
A dear devotee is pure, capable, impartial, and free from selfish undertakings.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna balances inner purity with practical competence. Bhakti does not mean carelessness; the devotee is daksha, capable and effective, but not driven by selfish expectation.
Read the traditional commentary
Another set of qualities is offered, each balancing the next. The devotee is free from wants (anapekṣaḥ), pure in body and heart (śuciḥ), yet also capable and alert (dakṣaḥ) — purity here is not passivity but readiness. He is unconcerned (udāsīnaḥ), taking no anxious side in the quarrels of the world, and untroubled by distress (gata-vyathaḥ).
The phrase sarva-ārambha-parityāgī means he renounces all self-centred enterprises — the endless ventures undertaken to feed ego and desire. This is not idleness; the dakṣa, the skilful one, still acts, but he no longer launches projects for personal aggrandisement. Free of grasping, pure, and competent, he lives lightly in the world, and so is dear to the Lord.
In daily life
Do your work well, but avoid ego-projects.
A professional can be excellent without making every project about personal validation.
Try this today
Drop or purify one ego-driven undertaking.
I work skillfully without selfish expectation.Reflect
Which action is driven by ego-expectation?
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Quick check
What does ‘sarva-ārambha-parityāgī’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on purity, in other chapters
- Verse 4.21Action done with a disciplined mind, free of expectation and possessiveness, leaves no stain on the soul.
- Verse 18.51Realizing the Absolute begins with a purified mind, disciplined will, and freedom from attraction and aversion.
- Verse 7.28Purified by right living, the heart slips free of likes and dislikes and grows capable of steady, wholehearted devotion.
- Verse 9.26The Divine treasures the love behind your offering, not its size — even a leaf or a little water given with a pure heart is enough.
Swipe left for 12.17 · Bhakti brings freedom from emotional extremes.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 12.16
Who says Bhagavad Gita 12.16, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 12.16, in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga (Bhakti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 12.16 mean?
The devotee who is free from expectation, pure, capable, impartial, free from distress, and renounces selfish undertakings is dear to Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 12.16 for daily life?
Do your work well, but avoid ego-projects. A professional can be excellent without making every project about personal validation.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 12.16 mean?
anapekṣaḥ — free from wants, expecting nothing; śuciḥ — pure (inwardly and outwardly); dakṣaḥ — skilful, capable, alert; udāsīnaḥ — unconcerned, impartial; gata-vyathaḥ — free from distress, untroubled.
Where does verse 12.16 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 16 of 20 in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga. The next verse is 12.17.