Purifying duties should continue.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् |यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ||१८-५||
yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyaṃ kāryameva tat . yajño dānaṃ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām ||18-5||
Use this verse to build your core spiritual routine.
Meaning
Acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be abandoned; they must be performed, for sacrifice, charity, and austerity purify the wise.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Yajna, daan, and tapas purify the mind and should not be abandoned.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna clearly preserves sacred disciplines. Even seekers of liberation should continue offering, giving, and disciplined purification because these practices refine ego and attachment.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna delivers his verdict on the debate of verse 3: the second view is right. Yajna, dana, and tapas must not be abandoned — they must be performed, because they are pavanani, purifiers, that cleanse the mind and prepare it for higher wisdom.
The distinction is vital. Krishna is not endorsing a life of frantic activity, but he firmly rejects spiritual laziness disguised as renunciation. Sacrifice, generosity, and self-discipline refine even the wise. The seeker grows not by avoiding obligation but by performing these purifying acts with the right inner attitude — which the next verse will specify.
In daily life
Keep prayer, giving, and discipline as non-negotiable anchors.
A person can maintain a small daily prayer, weekly charity, and one self-control practice.
Try this today
Choose one yajna, one daan, or one tapas practice for this week.
I keep practices that purify my heart.Reflect
Which purifying anchor do I need to keep?
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Quick check
What does ‘यज्ञदानतपःकर्म’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on charity, in other chapters
- Verse 4.28Generosity, discipline, practice, and study are all sacred offerings — every sincere effort to grow is a form of sacrifice.
- Verse 17.7Even the most ordinary choices — like what you eat — carry a spiritual quality; refine the everyday, and you refine yourself.
- Verse 5.6Selfless action purifies the heart so that genuine renunciation becomes natural — don't skip the work in a rush to withdraw.
- Verse 6.12Gather your scattered mind into a single point — focused practice purifies the heart and clears the way to the Self.
Swipe left for 18.6 · Do duty without attachment to fruit.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.5
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.5, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.5, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.5 mean?
Acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be abandoned; they must be performed, for sacrifice, charity, and austerity purify the wise. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.5 for daily life?
Keep prayer, giving, and discipline as non-negotiable anchors. A person can maintain a small daily prayer, weekly charity, and one self-control practice.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.5 mean?
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म — acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity; न त्याज्यं — should not be abandoned; कार्यम् एव तत् — indeed they should be performed; यज्ञः — sacrifice; दानं — charity / giving.
Where does verse 18.5 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 5 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.6.