A core teaching · grounding in mood · easy to enter
“Renunciation means doing what must be done without gripping the result.”
Arjuna, when fixed duty is done as only duty, without clinging to results, that renunciation is called sattvic.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyto be done · thus only · which · action · fixed, prescribed · is done · Arjuna · attachment · having given up · result, fruit · and · indeed · that · renunciation · sattvic · is considered
Fixed duty becomes pure renunciation when it is done without attachment to personal gain or to the result.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Moksha Sanyasa Yoga" (Liberation through Renunciation).
Verse 9 sits in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, "Liberation through Renunciation". The chapter has 78 verses in total.
You send the message that could change everything, then stare at the screen for the reply. This verse says the honesty was the task; the response was never yours to hold.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts action from reward-chasing to clean responsibility.
What this verse means
Fixed duty becomes pure renunciation when it is done without attachment to personal gain or to the result.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still caught between action and withdrawal. Krishna now refines renunciation: not abandoning duty, but doing the required work with no grasping for reward. That is the cleanest form of letting go.
Why this verse still matters
You send the message that could change everything, then stare at the screen for the reply. This verse says the honesty was the task; the response was never yours to hold.
“You can stay committed without becoming needy about what comes back.”
Explore related themes: attachment (20 verses), nishkama (14 verses), tyaga (14 verses)