Bhagavad-gītā 4.21
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः। शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।।4.21।।
nirāśhīr yata-chittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śhārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣham
Expecting nothing, his mind and personality controlled, without greed, doing only bodily actions; though he acts, he remains untainted.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| nirāśhīḥ | free from expectations |
| yata | controlled |
| chitta-ātmā | mind and intellect |
| tyakta | having abandoned |
| sarva | all |
| parigrahaḥ | the sense of ownership |
| śhārīram | bodily |
| kevalam | only |
| karma | actions |
| kurvan | performing |
| na | never |
| āpnoti | incurs |
| kilbiṣham | sin |
The liberated sage renounces all actions except what is necessary for the bare maintenance of the body. He incurs no sin which will cause evil effects.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaOne who is without solicitation, who has the mind and senses under control, and is totally without possessions, incurs no sin by performing actions merely for the maintenance of the body.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaFree from desire, his intellect and mind controlled, having given up all possessions, and doing bodily work only, he is not subject to evil.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe liberated sage renounces all actions except what is necessary for the bare maintenance of the body. He incurs no sin which will cause evil effects.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Expecting nothing, his mind and personality controlled, without greed, doing only bodily actions
- 2
though he acts, he remains untainted
- 3
nirāśhīḥ: free from expectations
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