Detached duty is real renunciation.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः |स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः ||६-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . anāśritaḥ karmaphalaṃ kāryaṃ karma karoti yaḥ . sa saṃnyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnirna cākriyaḥ ||6-1||
Use this verse before starting a duty-heavy day.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: One who performs necessary duty without depending on its fruits is both a renunciate and a yogi, not merely one who gives up rituals or action.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
True yoga is detached duty.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna redefines renunciation as inner detachment, not outer inactivity. A person can be deeply spiritual while fulfilling work, family, and social duties if they are not emotionally dependent on the result.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna opens the sixth chapter by redefining two words that the world easily misunderstands: sannyasi (renunciate) and yogi. True renunciation, he says, is not the abandonment of work or the ritual fires (niragni), nor mere physical inaction (akriya). It is the inner act of performing one's kaarya-karma — the duty that ought to be done — while remaining anaashrita, unsupported by craving for results.
This is the heart of karma-yoga restated at a deeper level. The hermit who flees responsibility but still nurses desire is no renunciate; the householder who acts fully yet releases attachment to outcome is both renunciate and yogi at once. Krishna thus dissolves the false opposition between the active life and the spiritual life.
Renunciation lives in the quality of the mind behind the action, not in the absence of action.
In daily life
Do your duty without making the outcome your identity.
A student preparing sincerely without obsessing over rank practices this verse.
Try this today
Choose one duty and release one result expectation.
I act sincerely without clinging to results.Reflect
Which duty can I do today without result-dependence?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘कार्यम् कर्म’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 5.2Acting selflessly in the world is a surer path to freedom than withdrawing from action with a mind still full of cravings.
- Verse 3.19Do what must be done, fully and without clinging to results — selfless action itself can lead you to the highest realization.
- Verse 4.41Selfless action joined with clear knowledge frees the self-possessed soul — deeds no longer bind one anchored in the Self.
- Verse 9.28Offer your actions to the Divine and release attachment to their outcomes; this very surrender is what sets you free.
Swipe left for 6.2 · Renounce selfish intention.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.1
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.1, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.1, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.1 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: One who performs necessary duty without depending on its fruits is both a renunciate and a yogi, not merely one who gives up rituals or action. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.1 for daily life?
Do your duty without making the outcome your identity. A student preparing sincerely without obsessing over rank practices this verse.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.1 mean?
अनाश्रितः — not depending on; कर्मफलम् — the fruit of action; कार्यम् कर्म — obligatory duty / work that ought to be done; करोति यः — he who performs; संन्यासी — a renunciate.
Where does verse 6.1 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 1 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.2.