Pure offering is duty without reward-seeking.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अफलाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदृष्टो य इज्यते |यष्टव्यमेवेति मनः समाधाय स सात्त्विकः ||१७-११||
aphalāṅkṣibhiryajño vidhidṛṣṭo ya ijyate . yaṣṭavyameveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ ||17-11||
Use this verse before service or duty.
Meaning
Sacrifice performed according to scripture, without desire for fruit, with the mind fixed that it ought to be done, is sattvic.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Sattvic sacrifice is duty done correctly without craving reward.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna defines pure offering. The act is done because it is right, not because it will bring recognition, gain, or social proof. This applies to prayer, service, work, and responsibility.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now applies the threefold lens to yajna (sacrifice), beginning with its purest form. Sattvic sacrifice is offered aphala-akankshibhih — by those who seek no reward — performed according to scriptural injunction, with the mind settled in the simple conviction yashtavyam eva: 'this is to be done because it ought to be done.' The act is its own justification; no bargaining with the Divine, no eye on personal gain.
This is the essence of selfless action carried into worship. Sattvic offering flows from duty and devotion rather than calculation. The mind is composed (manah samadhaya), neither anxious about results nor inflated by performance. Such purity of intention is what makes an act spiritually fruitful, precisely because the doer is not grasping at fruit. Here ritual becomes meditation, and obligation becomes love.
In daily life
Do the right action because it is right.
A person can volunteer quietly because service is needed, not because it looks good online.
Try this today
Perform one right action without seeking credit.
I offer action because it is right.Reflect
Can I do this duty without needing reward?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘यष्टव्यम् एव इति’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on selflessness, in other chapters
- Verse 3.13Receive life's gifts as something first offered and shared, and even eating becomes purifying rather than self-centred.
- Verse 18.9The purest renunciation is doing your duty wholeheartedly simply because it is right, free of attachment and reward.
- Verse 8.4The Lord of all sacrifice dwells within your own body, so every offering reaches the Divine seated in your heart.
- Verse 14.6Even peace and wisdom can quietly bind you if you cling to them as possessions rather than passing gifts.
Swipe left for 17.12 · Motive changes the quality of worship.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 17.11
Who says Bhagavad Gita 17.11, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 17.11, in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 17.11 mean?
Sacrifice performed according to scripture, without desire for fruit, with the mind fixed that it ought to be done, is sattvic. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 17.11 for daily life?
Do the right action because it is right. A person can volunteer quietly because service is needed, not because it looks good online.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 17.11 mean?
अफलाङ्क्षिभिः — by those who seek no reward; यज्ञः — sacrifice; विधिदृष्टः — enjoined by scriptural rule; यः इज्यते — which is performed; यष्टव्यम् एव इति — with the conviction 'it is simply a duty to be done'.
Where does verse 17.11 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 11 of 28 in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 17.12.