Self-mastery makes action pure.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
योगयुक्तो विशुद्धात्मा विजितात्मा जितेन्द्रियः |सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते ||५-७||
yogayukto viśuddhātmā vijitātmā jitendriyaḥ . sarvabhūtātmabhūtātmā kurvannapi na lipyate ||5-7||
Use this verse when you want action without inner stain.
Meaning
One united with yoga, purified in self, self-controlled, sense-controlled, and seeing the self in all beings, is not tainted even while acting.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Purified action does not bind the self-controlled person.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna describes the Karma Yogi’s maturity. Such a person has purified intention, mastered the mind, restrained the senses, and sees all beings with spiritual unity. Because action arises from purity rather than ego, it does not stain them. This is a powerful model for ethical leadership and service.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna paints the portrait of the perfected karma-yogi. Such a person has a vishuddha-atma — a thoroughly purified mind — has mastered the lower self, and governs the senses rather than being driven by them. The crowning quality is sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma: he sees his own Self as the Self in all beings.
From this vision flows a remarkable freedom: kurvann api na lipyate — 'though acting, he is not tainted.' Action no longer leaves karmic residue because there is no ego claiming it and no craving distorting it. When you recognize the same Self in everyone, action becomes service rather than self-assertion.
This is the secret of being intensely engaged in the world yet utterly unstained by it — the very reconciliation of action and renunciation that Arjuna asked about.
In daily life
Purify intention before serving, leading, teaching, or deciding.
A doctor, teacher, or founder can act intensely without ego if their motive is service.
Try this today
Before one major task, name the service intention behind it.
I act with purity, self-control, and unity.Reflect
Is my action coming from purity or ego?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘विजितात्मा’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on self mastery, in other chapters
- Verse 2.64The self-mastered person who moves among sense objects free from attachment and aversion attains divine grace and inner clarity.
- Verse 3.37The real enemy within is insatiable desire, which sours into anger — name it clearly, for an enemy understood can be conquered.
- Verse 4.26Whether through restraint of the senses or purified engagement with the world, sense-experience can be turned into an offering.
- Verse 6.5You are your own best friend or worst enemy — choose to lift yourself rather than let your lower impulses pull you down.
Swipe left for 5.8 · Witness awareness reduces ego-doership.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 5.7
Who says Bhagavad Gita 5.7, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 5.7, in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga (Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 5.7 mean?
One united with yoga, purified in self, self-controlled, sense-controlled, and seeing the self in all beings, is not tainted even while acting. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 5.7 for daily life?
Purify intention before serving, leading, teaching, or deciding. A doctor, teacher, or founder can act intensely without ego if their motive is service.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 5.7 mean?
योगयुक्तः — devoted to the path of action; विशुद्धात्मा — of purified mind; विजितात्मा — who has conquered the self; जितेन्द्रियः — who has subdued the senses; सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा — who sees the Self in all beings.
Where does verse 5.7 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 7 of 29 in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 5.8.