Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥२३॥
niyataṁ saṅga-rahitam
arāga-dveṣataḥ kṛtam
aphala-prepsunā karma
yat tat sāttvikam ucyate
Word for word (synonyms)
- niyatam
- regulative
- saṅga-rahitam
- without attachment
- arāga-dveṣataḥ
- without love or hatred
- kṛtam
- done
- aphala-prepsunā
- without fruitive result
- karma
- acts
- yat
- that which
- tat
- that
- sāttvikam
- in the mode of goodness
- ucyate
- is called
Translation
As for actions, that action in accordance with duty, which is performed without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced fruitive results, is called action in the mode of goodness.
Defined in the Gītā
Renunciation
What is real renunciation?
The Supreme Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called renunciation [tyāga] by the wise. And that state is called the renounced order of life [sannyāsa] by great learned men.
Purport
Regulated occupational duties, as prescribed in the scriptures in terms of the different orders and divisions of society, performed without attachment or proprietary rights and therefore without any love or hatred and performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the satisfaction of the Supreme, without self-satisfaction or self-gratification, are called actions in the mode of goodness.
What this verse teaches
Work (karma) in three modes
| Goodness | Passion | Ignorance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | performed without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced fruitive results 18.23 | performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires 18.24 | performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration of future bondage or consequences 18.25 |
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.