Work binds through attachment, not through action itself.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा |इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ||४-१४||
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā . iti māṃ yo.abhijānāti karmabhirna sa badhyate ||4-14||
Use this verse when result obsession creates anxiety.
Meaning
Actions do not bind Me, nor do I have desire for the fruits of action. One who understands Me in this way is not bound by actions.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Action does not bind when there is no attachment to its fruit.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna explains why divine action is free: there is no craving for results. This is the secret of Karma Yoga. Bondage does not come from action alone; it comes from ego, desire, and fruit-attachment. A person who learns to act without inner greed or possessiveness becomes increasingly free even while working intensely.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna reveals the secret of His freedom in action, and offers it to us. Actions do not stain Him because He has no craving for their fruit (na me karmaphale spṛhā). It is not activity that binds, but desire for results. The Lord acts ceaselessly to sustain creation, yet remains untouched because He wants nothing for Himself.
Then comes the practical promise: whoever truly understands this — and lives by it — is likewise not bound by their actions. Here the cosmic principle becomes a personal path. We too can act in the world, even vigorously, without accumulating the inner chains of attachment, simply by releasing our grasping for outcomes.
To know Krishna 'thus' is to internalize His secret: full engagement, zero clinging. This is the heart of karma-yoga.
In daily life
Act with excellence, but release craving for fruits.
A creator can make high-quality content without obsessing over likes and numbers.
Try this today
Before one task, write the effort you control and the result you release.
I act fully and remain free from fruit-craving.Reflect
Which fruit of action is binding my mind?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘न माम् कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 9.9Action binds us only through attachment; work fully yet rest inwardly as a witness, and you remain free.
- Verse 13.30Recognise that nature performs all your actions while your true Self merely witnesses — and the burden of doership falls away.
- Verse 3.7The highest path is to master your mind first, then act wholeheartedly in the world without clinging to the outcome.
- Verse 14.22The free soul neither resists unpleasant states nor chases pleasant ones — it meets all the mind's weather with equal calm.
Swipe left for 4.15 · The path of freedom includes wise action.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 4.14
Who says Bhagavad Gita 4.14, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 4.14, in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga (Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.14 mean?
Actions do not bind Me, nor do I have desire for the fruits of action. One who understands Me in this way is not bound by actions. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 4.14 for daily life?
Act with excellence, but release craving for fruits. A creator can make high-quality content without obsessing over likes and numbers.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 4.14 mean?
न माम् कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति — actions do not taint Me; न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा — nor have I desire for the fruit of actions; इति माम् — thus Me; यः अभिजानाति — he who knows; कर्मभिः — by actions.
Where does verse 4.14 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 14 of 42 in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 4.15.