Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 16
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्।।
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam
rajasas tu phalaṁ duḥkham ajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam
also searched as "karmanah sukrtasyahuh sattvikam nirmalam phalam"
Translation
It is said that the fruit of a good deed is pure and of the nature of Sattva; the fruit of Rajas is pain; and the fruit of Tamas is ignorance.
Vāṇi's rendering
Good action ripens clean and bright. Restless action ripens into pain. Dark action ripens into ignorance.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कर्मणःkarmaṇaḥ | of action, of the deed |
| सुकृतस्यsukṛtasya | of the well-done, of the good |
| आहुःāhuḥ | they say, it is said (joined as sukṛtasyāhuḥ) |
| सात्त्विकम्sāttvikaṁ | clear, of the nature of sattva |
| निर्मलम्nirmalaṁ | stainless, without residue |
| फलम्phalam | fruit, what ripens from it |
| रजसःrajasaḥ | of rajas, of restlessness (appears as rajasas before tu) |
| तुtu | but, whereas |
| फलम्phalaṁ | fruit |
| दुःखम्duḥkham | pain, ache |
| अज्ञानम्ajñānaṁ | ignorance, not-knowing |
| तमसःtamasaḥ | of tamas, of darkness and inertia |
| फलम्phalam | fruit |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 16 mean?
It means an action's fruit matches the state it grew from. Clear action ripens without residue. Restless action ripens into ache. Action done in dullness ripens into more dullness. Krishna is not ranking deeds by their size or their success, but by the inner weather that produced them.
What does karmanah sukrtasyahuh sattvikam nirmalam phalam teach?
That good action leaves nothing to clean up afterwards. Nirmala means stainless — no residue, no debt, no ache trailing behind. The line does not promise you will win. It promises that action done from clarity does not come back to collect from you later.
Why is the fruit of rajas said to be pain?
Because restless action is always reaching for something it does not have. That reaching is itself the ache, and it does not end when the thing arrives — it only moves to the next object. Krishna calls the pain a fruit because it ripens later, long after the choosing felt exciting.
How can I tell which guna my actions are coming from?
Look at what the action leaves behind in you. Clarity leaves you lighter and quieter. Restlessness leaves you agitated, already planning the next move. Dullness leaves you a little blinder than before, less able to see what you just did. The residue is the reliable evidence, not your intention.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna is not moralizing here; he is describing ripening. Every act carries its own weather forward. Work done cleanly, without grasping, leaves nothing behind to clean up — that is what nirmala means, no stain. Work driven by restlessness pays in ache, and the ache arrives later, never at the moment of choosing. Work done in fog thickens the fog. Arjuna wants to know what his battle will cost him. Krishna answers by pointing not at the deed but at the state it was done from. Before you act, ask what mood is holding the pen.