Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 26
मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः।सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते।।
mukta-saṅgo ‘nahaṁ-vādī dhṛty-utsāha-samanvitaḥ
siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika ucyate
also searched as "mukta-sango 'naham-vadi dhrity-utsaha-samanvitah"
Translation
That agent is said to be Sattvika, who is free from attachment, who does not boast of himself, who is endowed with steadiness and zeal, and who is unaffected by success and failure.
Vāṇi's rendering
The doer who is free of clinging and of 'I,' steady, eager, unchanged by success or failure — is clear.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मुक्तसङ्गःmukta-saṅgo | free of clinging, loosened from attachment (final -aḥ becomes -o before the elided a of the next word) |
| अनहंवादी'nahaṁ-vādī | one who does not say 'I did it'; unboastful (initial a elided in sandhi) |
| धृतिdhṛty- | steadiness that holds under strain |
| उत्साहutsāha- | eagerness, appetite for the work |
| समन्वितःsamanvitaḥ | furnished with, carrying both |
| सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योःsiddhy-asiddhyoḥ | in success and in failure alike |
| निर्विकारःnirvikāraḥ | unchanged, nothing in him lurches |
| कर्ताkartā | the doer, the one acting |
| सात्त्विकःsāttvika | clear, sāttvika (final -aḥ becomes -a before u) |
| उच्यतेucyate | is called, is said to be |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 26 mean?
It describes the clear doer. Such a person works without clinging to the result and without announcing himself as its author. He carries dhṛti, steadiness, and utsāha, real eagerness. Success and failure arrive, and he is not rearranged by either. Krishna calls this quality sāttvika — the doer seen clearly.
What does 'mukta sango naham vadi' teach about the ego in work?
Anahaṁvādī means one who does not go about saying 'I.' Krishna is not asking you to deny that you acted. He is asking you to stop feeding on the acting. The work gets done; the announcement is dropped. What falls away is the hunger to be credited, not the capacity to act.
Does being free of attachment mean losing motivation?
The verse forbids that reading. Utsāha — eagerness, drive — sits right beside freedom from clinging, and dhṛti holds the whole thing steady. Detachment here is not coolness toward the work. It is coolness toward the scoreboard. You can care fiercely about the doing and still let the outcome belong to the field.
How do I know if I am a sattvika doer?
Watch what happens after the result lands. If praise inflates you and failure hollows you out, the clinging is still there. Nirvikāraḥ means the inner shape does not change when the news does. Begin with ordinary tasks — finish one well, then notice whether you need anyone to know it was you.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna is describing not the deed but the one behind it. Notice what is absent: the grip on the outcome, the voice saying 'I did this.' What remains is not weakness — dhṛti and utsāha, steadiness and appetite for the work, are both here. The sāttvika doer is fully engaged and entirely unpossessed. And when the result comes, whichever way it comes, nothing in him lurches. Arjuna is being shown a way to fight without becoming the fight. You can test yourself on the small tasks: after the work is done, count how many times you need to say your own name.