Bhagavad-gītā 18.9
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन।सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः।।18.9।।
kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṁ kriyate ‘rjuna saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalaṁ chaiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ
When obligatory work is performed, O Arjuna, only because it ought to be done, leaving attachment and fruit, such relinquishment is regarded as Sâttvika.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| kāryam | as a duty |
| iti | as |
| eva | indeed |
| yat | which |
| karma niyatam | obligatory actions |
| kriyate | are performed |
| arjuna | Arjun |
| saṅgam | attachment |
| tyaktvā | relinquishing |
| phalam | reward |
| cha | and |
| eva | certainly |
| saḥ | such |
| tyāgaḥ | renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions |
| sāttvikaḥ | in the mode of goodness |
| mataḥ | considered |
Keep the verse in view while connecting kāryam (as a duty), tyaktvā (relinquishing), and mataḥ (considered). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to freedom through discernment and surrender. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 18.9.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the great recapitulation through renunciation, action, knowledge, duty, devotion, refuge and Sañjaya’s conclusion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
When obligatory work is performed, O Arjuna, only because it ought to be done, leaving attachment and fruit, such relinquishment is regarded as Sâttvika
- 2
kāryam: as a duty
- 3
tyaktvā: relinquishing
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.9, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 18.9 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.9 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.9 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
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