नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते ।
मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः ॥
मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
नियत कर्मका तो त्याग करना उचित नहीं है । उसका मोहपूर्वक त्याग करना तामस कहा गया है ॥
English
Abandoning prescribed action is not right. Giving it up in confusion is called tamasic.
What this verse means
You should not give up the work that is properly yours to do. If you drop it out of confusion, that is a dark and dull kind of renunciation.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still trapped between action and refusal. Krishna now sharpens the teaching: some duties cannot be discarded just because they feel heavy. This verse defines confused renunciation as a failure of understanding.
Why this verse still matters
You are about to quit a hard conversation because it feels uncomfortable, not because it is wrong. The urge to escape can look noble, but confusion is not wisdom.
The takeaway
Relief comes from knowing that clarity, not escape, is the real test of renunciation.
Word-by-word translation
नियतस्य (of the prescribed) / तु (indeed) / संन्यासः (renunciation) / कर्मणः (of action) / न (not) / उपपद्यते (is उचित / is fitting) । / मोहात् (from confusion) / तस्य (of that) / परित्यागः (abandonment) / तामसः (tamasic) / परिकीर्तितः (is called)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18: Moksha Sanyasa Yoga — Liberation through Renunciation, which contains 78 verses.
Explore related themes: renunciation (14 verses), dharma (14 verses), tyaga (14 verses)