Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 12, Verse 11
अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः।सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान्।।
athaitad apy aśakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān
also searched as "athaitad apy ashakto si kartum mad-yogam ashritah"
Translation
If you are unable to do even this—that is, take refuge in My Yoga—then, with your self-control, renounce the fruits of every action.
Vāṇi's rendering
And if even that is too much — then just do this: let go of every result, and stay steady.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अथatha | and if, then — opening the next concession |
| एतत्etat | this — the practice just described |
| अपिapi | even |
| अशक्तःaśaktaḥ | unable, not strong enough |
| असिasi | you are |
| कर्तुम्kartum | to do |
| मद्योगम्mad-yogam | union with me, working joined to me |
| आश्रितःāśritaḥ | having taken shelter in |
| सर्वकर्मफलत्यागम्sarva-karma-phala-tyāgam | the letting go of the fruit of every action |
| ततःtataḥ | then, in that case |
| कुरुkuru | do it |
| यतात्मवान्yatātmavān | holding yourself steady, self-possessed |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Verse 11 mean?
It is the last rung of a descending ladder. Krishna has offered fixed attention, then steady practice, then work done for his sake. Here he offers the least: keep acting, but release the result. Nothing is demanded of your feeling, your faith, or your capacity — only that you stop carrying what was never yours.
What does athaitad apy ashakto si kartum mad-yogam ashritah mean in simple words?
And if even that is beyond you — if resting your work in me is more than you can manage — then let go of the fruit of everything you do, and hold yourself steady. Krishna makes the entrance small enough that nobody is left standing outside it.
What exactly is the fruit I am supposed to give up?
Not the outcome itself — that arrives or does not, regardless. What you release is the private ledger: the credit, the deserving, the anxious rehearsal of how it will turn out. Sarva-karma-phala-tyāga is dropping ownership of results, not dropping effort. The work continues, unweighted.
Is this verse only for people who have failed at the higher practices?
It is for anyone standing where they actually stand. Krishna does not scold the one who cannot meditate; he hands them something they can hold today. Yatātmavān — steady — is the fruit of this, not its entry requirement. Begin here and the rest is not lost to you.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna keeps lowering the bar. Fix your mind on me; if not, practise; if not, work for my sake; and now — if even that is beyond you. Notice he does not withdraw the offer. He shortens the step. What remains is the smallest possible act: do whatever you are already doing, and stop claiming the outcome. No temple, no discipline, no name for it. Arjuna is not asked to become someone else before he begins. Neither are you. Whatever you set down today — the result you were quietly saving for yourself — is the whole practice, and the steadiness follows the setting down.