Attachment binds the soul to the fruits of action.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् |भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ||१८-१२||
aniṣṭamiṣṭaṃ miśraṃ ca trividhaṃ karmaṇaḥ phalam . bhavatyatyāgināṃ pretya na tu saṃnyāsināṃ kvacit ||18-12||
Use this verse before uncertain outcomes.
Meaning
The threefold fruits of action, unpleasant, pleasant, and mixed, come after death to those who have not renounced, but never to true renouncers.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Those attached to action receive mixed fruits; true renouncers are free from fruit-binding.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna explains why fruit-renunciation matters. Actions tied to attachment generate pleasant, unpleasant, and mixed consequences. Sannyasa in the deeper sense frees one from bondage to fruits.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna explains why releasing the fruits matters so deeply. For those who do not renounce attachment, action produces a threefold harvest — desirable, undesirable, and mixed — that follows them even beyond death, binding them to further rounds of birth and consequence.
But the true sannyasi, who has surrendered all claim to results, accrues no such binding fruit. This is not a denial of cause and effect but its transcendence: when the ego stops claiming ownership of outcomes, the karmic thread that ties one to rebirth is cut. Detachment is thus not mere psychological calm but the very doorway to liberation.
In daily life
Act carefully, but do not let results define your inner freedom.
A person may receive praise, criticism, or mixed outcomes after a project, but can remain free by offering the fruit.
Try this today
Mentally offer all three possible outcomes before acting.
I release pleasant, unpleasant, and mixed fruits.Reflect
Am I prepared for pleasant, unpleasant, or mixed outcomes?
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Quick check
What does ‘कर्मणः फलम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma, in other chapters
- Verse 8.19Driven by past karma, beings are swept helplessly through endless cycles; true freedom means stepping beyond the wheel entirely.
- Verse 13.24Right understanding of self and nature liberates you wherever you stand — no special circumstance required.
- Verse 2.50Yoga is the supreme skill in action — acting with full engagement yet free from both merit-seeking and sin-avoidance.
- Verse 15.3Non-attachment is the single sharp tool that can sever even our deepest entanglements.
Swipe left for 18.13 · Action is multi-causal.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.12
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.12, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.12, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.12 mean?
The threefold fruits of action, unpleasant, pleasant, and mixed, come after death to those who have not renounced, but never to true renouncers. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.12 for daily life?
Act carefully, but do not let results define your inner freedom. A person may receive praise, criticism, or mixed outcomes after a project, but can remain free by offering the fruit.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.12 mean?
अनिष्टम् — undesirable / evil; इष्टं — desirable / good; मिश्रं च — and mixed; त्रिविधं — of three kinds; कर्मणः फलम् — the fruit of action.
Where does verse 18.12 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 12 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.13.