Shloka 18.49
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः |नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति ||१८-४९||
asaktabuddhiḥ sarvatra jitātmā vigataspṛhaḥ . naiṣkarmyasiddhiṃ paramāṃ saṃnyāsenādhigacchati ||18-49||
Meaning
He whose mind is entirely detached, who has conquered himself, whose desires have vanished, by his renunciation reaches that stage of perfect freedom where action completes itself and leaves no seed.
Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna describes the crowning achievement. The one whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has mastered the self, and from whom all craving has departed, attains through true renunciation the supreme naishkarmya-siddhi — the perfection of freedom from action's binding power.
This is not the cessation of activity but liberation within it. By inner renunciation — releasing attachment, conquering the lower self, and dropping desire — one reaches a state where actions no longer bind. The deeds continue, but they leave no karmic residue, for the ego that claimed them is dissolved.
This is the same selfless attitude the chapter has praised throughout, now named as the very gateway to ultimate freedom.
In daily life
Mastering the self and releasing all craving brings freedom from the binding power of action.
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What does ‘नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on renunciation, in other chapters
- Verse 14.25The mark of true freedom is meeting honour and insult, friend and foe, with one steady heart, having released the ego's grasping ventures.
- 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 9.28Offer your actions to the Divine and release attachment to their outcomes; this very surrender is what sets you free.
Swipe left for 18.50 · Attaining perfection is not the end but the threshold to realizing the Absolute itself.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.49
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.49, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.49, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.49 mean?
He whose mind is entirely detached, who has conquered himself, whose desires have vanished, by his renunciation reaches that stage of perfect freedom where action completes itself and leaves no seed. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.49 for daily life?
Mastering the self and releasing all craving brings freedom from the binding power of action.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.49 mean?
असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र — whose intellect is unattached everywhere; जितात्मा — who has subdued the self; विगतस्पृहः — from whom longing has fled; नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां — the supreme perfection of freedom from action; संन्यासेन अधिगच्छति — attains through renunciation.
Where does verse 18.49 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 49 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.50.