Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 5
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत्।यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम्।।
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat
yajño dānaṁ tapaś caiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām
also searched as "yajna dana tapah karma na tyajyam karyam eva tat"
Translation
(a) The acts of sacrifice, gifts, and austerities should not be relinquished; but should be performed...
(b) ...For sacrifices, gifts, and austerities are the means of purification for the wise.
Vāṇi's rendering
Offering, giving, austerity — never abandon these. Do them. They purify even the wise.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यज्ञदानतपःकर्मyajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma | the work of offering, of giving, and of austerity |
| नna | not |
| त्याज्यम्tyājyam | to be abandoned, to be let go of |
| कार्यम्kāryam | to be done, to be performed |
| एवeva | indeed, precisely |
| तत्tat | that |
| यज्ञःyajñaḥ | offering, sacrifice (appears as yajño by sandhi before dānam) |
| दानम्dānam | giving, the gift |
| तपःtapaḥ | austerity, disciplined heat (appears as tapaś by sandhi before ca) |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed (ca and eva joined as caiva) |
| पावनानिpāvanāni | purifiers, things that cleanse |
| मनीषिणाम्manīṣiṇām | of the wise, of those who have understood |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 5 mean?
It names what survives renunciation. Offering, giving, austerity are not to be dropped — they are to be done. What Krishna asks you to release is the claim on the result, never the act. And the reason he gives is startling: these purify manīṣiṇām, the wise. Even one who has understood keeps performing them.
What is the meaning of 'yajna dana tapah karma na tyajyam karyam eva tat'?
The line refuses an easy exit. Arjuna has been hearing about relinquishment and could take it as permission to stop. Krishna closes that door at once: yajña, dāna, tapaḥ — na tyājyam. Not abandoned. Kāryam eva — to be done, precisely. Letting go happens inwardly, while the hands stay busy.
If Krishna teaches renunciation, why must sacrifice, giving and austerity continue?
Because renunciation was never about stopping. Two verses earlier some say all action should be dropped as tainted; Krishna disagrees. Tyāga is giving up the fruit, not the work. Offering, giving and austerity carry no private profit anyway — so nothing needs to be surrendered in them except the wish to be seen doing them.
Why does the verse say these acts purify even the wise?
Because knowing is not a finished state. Insight can harden into opinion, and opinion into pride. The wise keep offering, keep giving, keep enduring discipline — not to arrive somewhere, but to stay usable. If you think you have grown past the practice, that is the moment the practice is most needed.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna has just taken the fruit of action away. Now he names what stays: offering, giving, austerity. Not because they earn anything — earning was never the point — but because they clean the one who does them. Notice who he says they purify: manīṣiṇām, the wise. Not the beginner. The person who has already seen through reward still gives, still fasts, still offers. Understanding does not excuse you from practice; it is practice that keeps understanding from going stale. Whatever you have outgrown the need for — do it anyway. The doing is what keeps you fit to know.