Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 3
त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः।
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे।।
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे।।
tyājyaṁ doṣa-vad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam iti cāpare
also searched as "tyajyam dosa-vad ity eke karma prahur manisinah"
Translation
Some sages say that all actions should be abandoned as evil; others declare that works such as sacrifices, gifts, and austerities should not be abandoned.
Vāṇi's rendering
Some thinkers say all action is flawed and should be dropped. Others say offering, giving, and austerity must never be.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| त्याज्यम्tyājyaṁ | to be given up, abandoned |
| दोषवत्doṣa-vat | as being flawed, tainted with evil |
| इतिiti | thus (joined in sandhi as ity before eke) |
| एकेeke | some |
| कर्मkarma | action, work |
| प्राहुःprāhuḥ | declare, say |
| मनीषिणःmanīṣiṇaḥ | thinkers, the discerning |
| यज्ञ-दान-तपः-कर्मyajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma | the work of offering, giving, and austerity |
| नna | not |
| त्याज्यम्tyājyam | to be given up |
| इतिiti | thus |
| चca | and (joined in sandhi as cāpare) |
| अपरेapare | others |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 3 mean?
Krishna lays out two honest positions before giving his own. One camp of thinkers holds that all action carries a flaw and should be renounced outright. Another holds that yajña, dāna and tapaḥ — offering, giving, austerity — are never to be dropped. He reports the split plainly and does not yet choose.
What is the meaning of tyajyam doshavad ityeke karma prahurmanishinah?
Some manīṣiṇaḥ, discerning people, call karma tyājyam — fit to be abandoned — because every act binds and every act injures something. It is not a foolish view. Krishna gives it room, names the opposite view beside it, and lets Arjuna feel how genuine the disagreement is before he resolves it.
Why does Krishna present two conflicting opinions instead of answering directly?
Because Arjuna's confusion deserves acknowledging, not overriding. Krishna shows that the question is hard even among the wise, so Arjuna will not think himself dull for asking. His own answer comes in the following verses. First he makes the difficulty visible, which is its own kind of respect.
Does the Gita teach that we should abandon all action?
No. Krishna has already shut that door — nobody stands still even for a moment. What is dropped is not the doing but the clutching at results. Verse 3 records the renouncer's argument fairly, then Krishna moves past it. You act; you simply stop demanding that the outcome be yours.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna answers Arjuna's question by naming a dispute instead of settling it. Wise people disagree — some say action itself is stained and must be dropped, others that offering, giving, and austerity are exempt. He lets both stand for a moment. Arjuna asked for a rule he could carry out of the chapter; what he gets first is the honest fact that the learned split. You have met this. Two people you trust, both sober, both careful, telling you opposite things about the thing you must do tomorrow. Krishna does not shame the confusion. He waits three verses, then speaks. Sit in the not-knowing that long.