Freedom comes when action is not chained to fruits.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः ।जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥
karma-jaṃ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchanty anāmayam
Use this verse when results feel like emotional bondage.
Meaning
The wise, endowed with understanding, give up the fruits born of action and become freed from the bondage of birth, attaining a state beyond suffering.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Letting go of result-attachment leads to inner freedom.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna explains the deeper fruit of Karma Yoga: freedom from bondage. The wise still act, but they are not chained by outcome, praise, guilt, or identity. This creates a peaceful state where action continues but inner suffering reduces.
Read the traditional commentary
This verse reveals the ultimate destination of those who practice karma yoga — liberation from the cycle of birth and death itself. The word 'manīṣiṇaḥ' (the wise or reflective ones) points to those who have deeply contemplated the nature of the self and action, and have inwardly renounced attachment to the fruits of their work while continuing to act fully in the world.
The phrase 'janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ' is particularly significant. Birth and death are presented not as isolated events but as a bondage — an entrapment caused by unresolved desires and karmic obligations. Every action motivated by personal gain creates an impression that eventually must bear fruit, pulling the soul back into embodied existence.
The buddhi-yukta (one established in wisdom) cuts this chain at the root by refusing to identify with or grasp at results.
The goal described — 'padam anāmayam' — is a state free from all afflictions, a term that points to moksha or liberation. This is not a reward earned through spiritual transactions but a natural state that is uncovered when the obscuring layers of desire and karmic residue are dissolved. The verse thus presents karma yoga not as mere ethics of non-attachment but as a direct path to the highest liberation.
In daily life
Work fully, but do not let results define your inner worth.
A researcher may work for years without recognition, yet stay free by valuing truth and effort.
Try this today
Write one result you release while continuing sincere effort.
I act sincerely and release the chain of results.Reflect
Which result has become a chain for me?
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Quick check
What does ‘anāmayam’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 18.2True renunciation is giving up selfish motives and clinging to results, not giving up action itself.
- Verse 8.16Even the highest heaven is temporary; aim not for a better place within the cycle but for freedom from it altogether.
- Verse 15.4After releasing what binds you, seek refuge in the eternal source from which all life flows.
- Verse 5.2Acting selflessly in the world is a surer path to freedom than withdrawing from action with a mind still full of cravings.
Swipe left for 2.52 · Clarity reduces dependence on noise.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.51
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.51, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 2.51, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.51 mean?
The wise, endowed with understanding, give up the fruits born of action and become freed from the bondage of birth, attaining a state beyond suffering. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.51 for daily life?
Work fully, but do not let results define your inner worth. A researcher may work for years without recognition, yet stay free by valuing truth and effort.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.51 mean?
karma-jam — born of action, produced by work; buddhi-yuktāḥ — endowed with buddhi yoga, fixed in pure intelligence; hi — certainly, indeed; phalam — fruit, result; tyaktvā — having abandoned, having renounced.
Where does verse 2.51 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 51 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.52.