Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Verse 12

Bhagavad Gita 18.12

The chain of action ends when desire for its fruit ends.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् ।
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
कर्मफलका त्याग न करनेवाले मनुष्योंको कर्मोंका इष्ट, अनिष्ट और मिश्रित ऐसे तीन प्रकारका फल मरनेके बाद भी होता है परन्तु कर्मफलका त्याग करनेवालोंको कहीं भी नहीं होता ॥
English
For those who do not renounce the fruits of action, action produces three kinds of results—pleasant, unpleasant, and mixed—even after death; but for those who renounce the fruits, there is no such result anywhere.

What this verse means

If you keep wanting the result of your actions, those actions keep producing effects for you. If you let go of results, that chain ends.

Context & commentary

On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen between duty and grief. Krishna deepens the lesson on renunciation: action itself is unavoidable, but bondage comes from clinging to its fruit. That is why this verse distinguishes the renouncer from the one still tied to results.

Why this verse still matters

You send the message, then keep reopening the chat for a reply that decides your mood. The verse points to the hidden chain: craving the result keeps the action alive inside you.

The takeaway

There is relief in not carrying your actions as personal baggage.

Word-by-word translation

अनिष्टम् (unpleasant) / इष्टम् (pleasant) / मिश्रम् (mixed) / च (and) / त्रिविधम् (threefold) / कर्मणः (of action) / फलम् (fruit, result) / भवति (becomes, occurs) / अत्यागिनाम् (for those who do not renounce) / प्रेत्य (after death) / न तु (but not) / संन्यासिनाम् (for renouncers) / क्वचित् (anywhere, at any time)

Explore related themes: renunciation (14 verses), tyaga (14 verses), sannyasa (12 verses)

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