Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 49
असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः।नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति।।
asakta-buddhiḥ sarvatra jitātmā vigata-spṛhaḥ
naiṣkarmya-siddhiṁ paramāṁ sannyāsenādhigacchati
also searched as "Asaktabuddhih sarvatra jitatma vigatasprhah"
Translation
He whose understanding is unattached on all sides, whose self is controlled, who is free from desires—he attains the supreme perfection transcending all activity through renunciation.
Vāṇi's rendering
Mind unattached to anything, self mastered, longing gone — by such renunciation one reaches the peak beyond all action.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| असक्तबुद्धिःasakta-buddhiḥ | whose mind does not fasten onto anything |
| सर्वत्रsarvatra | everywhere, in every direction, toward all things |
| जितात्माjitātmā | one whose self is mastered |
| विगतस्पृहःvigata-spṛhaḥ | in whom longing has gone |
| नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिंnaiṣkarmya-siddhim | the perfection that lies beyond action |
| परमांparamām | highest, supreme |
| संन्यासेनsannyāsena | by renunciation (sandhi with the next word) |
| अधिगच्छतिadhigacchati | reaches, arrives at |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 49 mean?
It names the inner shape of a free person: a mind that does not fasten onto anything, a self under its own command, longing quieted. Such a one reaches naiṣkarmya-siddhi, the peak beyond action — not by stopping work, but by ceasing to cling to it. Renunciation here is an attitude, not an address.
What does "Asaktabuddhih sarvatra jitatma vigatasprhah" mean?
Three conditions in one breath. Asakta-buddhiḥ — the understanding is unglued, everywhere, not just in convenient places. Jitātmā — the self is won, not suppressed. Vigata-spṛhaḥ — the forward lean of wanting has left. Krishna lists them in order because each makes the next possible. Detachment steadies you; steadiness quiets the thirst.
Does this verse ask me to give up my work?
No. Krishna spends this whole chapter closing that door. Sannyāsa in this verse is the surrender of attachment, not of duty. You keep the work, the family, the responsibility. What you set down is the private demand that they turn out a certain way for you to be all right.
What is naishkarmya-siddhi?
It is the state in which action no longer binds. Deeds still happen — hands move, decisions get made — but they leave no mark on the one who acts, because nothing in him was invested in the return. Krishna calls it paramām, the highest. It is reached through action, never around it.
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Commentary
Notice what is renounced here. Not the work — Arjuna asked for that exit in chapter one, and Krishna has refused it ever since. What goes is the grip: the mind that fastens onto outcomes, the wanting that leans forward. Naiṣkarmya is not idleness. It is action that leaves no residue, because nothing in you was hooked to it. This is why the order matters — unattached first, mastered second, longing gone third. Renunciation is a condition, not a departure. You do not have to leave your desk to reach it. You have to stop needing the desk to give you something.