नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
जो कर्म शास्त्रविधिसे नियत किया हुआ और कर्तृत्वाभिमानसे रहित हो तथा फलेच्छारहित मनुष्यके द्वारा बिना रागद्वेषके किया हुआ हो, वह सात्त्विक कहा जाता है ॥
English
Action that is guided by duty, free from attachment, and done without craving results is called sattvic.
What this verse means
Action is pure when it follows duty, is free from attachment, and is done without craving the result.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still trapped between collapse and action. Krishna now classifies kinds of action, showing that the highest form is duty done without attachment, craving, or inner push and pull.
Why this verse still matters
You send the message you’ve been avoiding, knowing it may change everything. What makes it right is not the reaction you get, but the clean intention behind it.
The takeaway
You can act fully without being pulled by wanting. That makes the work clean and steady.
Word-by-word translation
नियतं (prescribed) / सङ्गरहितम् (free from attachment) / अरागद्वेषतः (without attraction and aversion) / कृतम् (done) / अफलप्रेप्सुना (by one not seeking fruit) / कर्म (action) / यत् (which) / तत् (that) / सात्त्विकम् (sattvic) / उच्यते (is called)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18: Moksha Sanyasa Yoga — Liberation through Renunciation, which contains 78 verses.
Explore related themes: sattva (26 verses), attachment (20 verses), duty (13 verses)