Confused duty-avoidance is tamasic.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते |मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः ||१८-७||
niyatasya tu saṃnyāsaḥ karmaṇo nopapadyate . mohāttasya parityāgastāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ ||18-7||
Use this verse when detachment becomes avoidance.
Meaning
Renunciation of prescribed duty is not proper. Abandoning it out of delusion is declared tamasic.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Giving up duty because of confusion is tamasic renunciation.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna warns against spiritualized avoidance. Duties should not be abandoned because of delusion, laziness, denial, or lack of clarity.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now begins classifying the three kinds of tyaga announced in verse 4, starting with the lowest. Giving up niyata karma — one's prescribed, obligatory duty — is never proper. When such abandonment springs from moha, delusion or confusion, it is tamasic, born of darkness and inertia.
This is a sharp warning against spiritual escapism. Walking away from genuine responsibility — out of confusion, laziness, or a romantic fantasy of holiness — is not renunciation at all but its tamasic counterfeit. Real growth never comes from shirking what life has rightly placed before us.
In daily life
Check whether you are avoiding duty under the name of detachment.
A person may say I am detached while actually avoiding responsibility at home or work.
Try this today
Name one prescribed duty and take one small step toward it.
I do not call avoidance renunciation.Reflect
What duty am I avoiding due to confusion?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘तामसः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on tamas, in other chapters
- Verse 14.8The most dangerous bondage is the one that dulls you to its own presence — heedlessness, laziness, and stupor.
- Verse 17.19Discipline guided by delusion, self-harm, or hatred is the lowest of all — effort must be steered by wisdom and compassion, never malice.
- Verse 1.23 · ArjunaCorrupted intelligence, not pure evil, is often the root of collective harm — examine your own reasoning regularly for distortion.
- Verse 2.52When intelligence transcends delusion, the seeker becomes naturally disenchanted with all secondhand knowledge and rests in direct knowing.
Swipe left for 18.8 · Discomfort alone is not a valid reason to abandon duty.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.7
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.7, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.7, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.7 mean?
Renunciation of prescribed duty is not proper. Abandoning it out of delusion is declared tamasic. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.7 for daily life?
Check whether you are avoiding duty under the name of detachment. A person may say I am detached while actually avoiding responsibility at home or work.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.7 mean?
नियतस्य — of obligatory / prescribed; तु संन्यासः — but the renunciation; कर्मणः — of action; न उपपद्यते — is not proper / not justified; मोहात् — from delusion.
Where does verse 18.7 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 7 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.8.