Act from fullness, not emotional dependency.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन |न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ||३-१८||
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana . na cāsya sarvabhūteṣu kaścidarthavyapāśrayaḥ ||3-18||
Use this verse when help becomes hidden bargaining.
Meaning
For such a person, there is nothing to gain by action or inaction, and no dependence on any being for any personal purpose.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The fulfilled person is free from selfish dependence.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna continues describing the self-realized person. Their actions are no longer driven by insecurity, neediness, or hidden bargaining. They may still act, serve, teach, and guide, but not because they feel empty. This is a high spiritual ideal: relationships and work become expressions of fullness, not attempts to extract identity, control, or worth from others.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna deepens the portrait of the realized soul. For such a one, doing brings no special gain and leaving undone brings no loss; the self-fulfilled sage has nothing to acquire and nothing to fear losing. Nor does he depend upon any being for any object — his completeness rests entirely within.
This is true freedom: a state beyond the endless calculus of profit and loss that governs ordinary life. Most of us act because we crave outcomes or dread their absence; the liberated act, if at all, flows from fullness rather than need. Independence here is not arrogance or isolation but the natural fruit of inner sufficiency.
Having found the Self, the sage relies on nothing external for his peace. This portrait stands as the inner ideal even for those of us still working amid the play of desire and aversion.
In daily life
Notice where your service hides a need for approval or control.
Someone may help others but secretly expect praise, loyalty, or emotional control in return.
Try this today
Do one helpful action today without asking for recognition.
I serve from fullness and freedom.Reflect
Where do I give with hidden expectation?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘न अकृतेन इह कश्चन’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on freedom, in other chapters
- Verse 5.3True renunciation is freedom from craving and aversion within — not the outer abandonment of work.
- Verse 15.5Inner freedom from pride, craving, and the swing of pleasure and pain leads to the imperishable state.
- Verse 18.10When you act free of attachment, no task feels like a burden and no pleasant outcome traps you.
- Verse 4.41Selfless action joined with clear knowledge frees the self-possessed soul — deeds no longer bind one anchored in the Self.
Swipe left for 3.19 · Duty plus detachment leads toward the Supreme.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.18
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.18, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.18, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.18 mean?
For such a person, there is nothing to gain by action or inaction, and no dependence on any being for any personal purpose. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.18 for daily life?
Notice where your service hides a need for approval or control. Someone may help others but secretly expect praise, loyalty, or emotional control in return.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.18 mean?
न एव तस्य कृतेन अर्थः — for him there is no gain in what is done; न अकृतेन इह कश्चन — nor any loss in what is not done here; न च अस्य — nor does he; सर्वभूतेषु — among all beings; कश्चित् अर्थव्यपाश्रयः — depend on anyone for any object.
Where does verse 3.18 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 18 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.19.