Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 2
श्री भगवानुवाच
काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः।
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः।।
काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः।
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः।।
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kāmyānāṁ karmaṇāṁ nyāsaṁ sannyāsaṁ kavayo viduḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prāhus tyāgaṁ vicakṣaṇāḥ
also searched as "kamyanam karmanam nyasam sannyasam kavayo viduh"
Translation
The Lord said, "The sages hold that Sannyasa is the giving up of all works motivated by desire, and the wise declare Tyaga to be the abandonment of the fruits of all works.
Vāṇi's rendering
The sages say: renunciation is dropping actions driven by desire. Relinquishment is dropping the fruit of every action.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| श्री भगवान्śrī-bhagavān | Krishna, the radiant one |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| काम्यानाम्kāmyānāṁ | of those driven by desire, done for a wanted result |
| कर्मणाम्karmaṇāṁ | of actions, of works |
| न्यासम्nyāsaṁ | the laying down, the setting aside |
| संन्यासम्sannyāsaṁ | renunciation |
| कवयःkavayaḥ | the seers, those who see far |
| विदुःviduḥ | know it as, hold it to be |
| सर्व-कर्म-फल-त्यागम्sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ | the letting go of the fruit of every action |
| प्राहुःprāhuḥ | declare, call it (prāhus before the following t-) |
| त्यागम्tyāgaṁ | relinquishment |
| विचक्षणाःvicakṣaṇāḥ | the discerning, those who can tell things apart |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 2 mean?
It draws a line between two words people use loosely. Sannyāsa is refusing the actions you would only do for a result. Tyāga is doing the actions anyway and refusing the result. Krishna names both without ranking them here — but the whole chapter leans toward the second, because it can be lived anywhere.
What is the meaning of kamyanam karmanam nyasam sannyasam kavayo viduh?
Kāmya karma is action born from a wish for something. To lay such action down is what the seers call renunciation. It is an outward move — the desired act itself is dropped. Krishna states it plainly, then immediately offers something quieter that most people can actually carry.
What is the difference between sannyasa and tyaga in the Gita?
Sannyāsa changes what you do; tyāga changes what you hold. One leaves the field, the other stands on it with empty hands. Krishna does not ask you to abandon your household, your work, your obligations. He asks you to stop collecting what they produce as though it were yours.
Does this verse mean I should stop wanting anything?
It means notice which actions exist only because you want something. Some do — and those the seers set down. But most of your work is simply yours to do. Keep doing it. The relinquishment Krishna praises happens in the middle of activity, not away from it.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Arjuna asked for a distinction and Krishna gives him two, cleanly. One kind of person stops doing the things done for wanting — no ritual for rain, no work for reward. Another keeps doing everything and stops owning what comes of it. Notice which is harder. The first can be arranged: change your life, leave the house, drop the desired acts. The second cannot be arranged at all; the hands stay busy and the letting go happens somewhere no one can see. Krishna will spend this chapter showing that the second is enough. You do not have to leave your work. You have to leave the fruit.