Give up desire-driven action and result-attachment.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः |सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः ||१८-२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . kāmyānāṃ karmaṇāṃ nyāsaṃ saṃnyāsaṃ kavayo viduḥ . sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ prāhustyāgaṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ ||18-2||
Use this verse to classify action and attachment.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: The wise understand sannyasa as giving up desire-driven actions; the discerning call tyaga the renunciation of the fruits of all actions.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Sannyasa means giving up desire-based actions; tyaga means giving up attachment to results.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna immediately clarifies the distinction. The problem is not responsible action itself, but action driven by craving and attachment to outcome. This becomes a practical decision filter.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna answers Arjuna's question with surgical precision. Sannyasa, he says, is the giving up of kamya karma — actions undertaken specifically to gain some personal desire. Tyaga, by contrast, is keeping the action but releasing the grip on its fruits, the sarva-karma-phala-tyaga that has been the Gita's recurring teaching.
The crucial insight is that neither requires fleeing the world. One renounces selfish, desire-driven activity; the other performs all necessary duty while surrendering claim to its results. This reframes the spiritual life as an inner orientation rather than an outward withdrawal — you can renounce while fully engaged.
In daily life
Do your duty, but drop craving and ownership over results.
A student should study sincerely, give up cheating or obsession, and release anxiety over marks.
Try this today
Separate one action into duty, desire, and result-attachment.
I act from duty and release the fruit.Reflect
Which action is driven by desire, and which result am I attached to?
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Quick check
What does ‘संन्यासं’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 2.51The wise who abandon attachment to the fruits of action attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
- Verse 5.2Acting selflessly in the world is a surer path to freedom than withdrawing from action with a mind still full of cravings.
- Verse 6.1Do your duty wholeheartedly while letting go of attachment to its results — that, not withdrawal from work, is real renunciation.
- Verse 12.11If nothing else, surrender the fruits of all your actions and stay inwardly steady.
Swipe left for 18.3 · Not all action should be abandoned.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.2, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.2, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.2 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: The wise understand sannyasa as giving up desire-driven actions; the discerning call tyaga the renunciation of the fruits of all actions. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.2 for daily life?
Do your duty, but drop craving and ownership over results. A student should study sincerely, give up cheating or obsession, and release anxiety over marks.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.2 mean?
श्रीभगवानुवाच — The Blessed Lord said; काम्यानां कर्मणां — of desire-prompted actions; न्यासं — the giving up; संन्यासं — as sannyasa (renunciation); कवयः — the sages / seers.
Where does verse 18.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.3.