A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Action without attachment leaves no stain.”
One who offers actions to Brahman, renounces attachment, and acts is not stained by wrongdoing, just as a lotus leaf is untouched by water.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyin Brahman · having placed · actions · attachment · having abandoned · does · who · is stained · not · he · by wrongdoing · lotus leaf · like · by water
Do your actions without clinging to them, and they do not bind you. Like a lotus leaf in water, you remain untouched.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Sanyasa Yoga" (The Yoga of Renunciation).
Verse 10 sits in Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Sanyasa Yoga, "The Yoga of Renunciation". The chapter has 29 verses in total.
You send the message, make the hard apology, or sign the document that changes everything. What matters is not whether the moment feels clean, but whether you acted without clinging to the result.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from self-protection to clean action: do the work, release the grip, and let consequences unfold.
What this verse means
Do your actions without clinging to them, and they do not bind you. Like a lotus leaf in water, you remain untouched.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen between duty and grief. Krishna explains that action itself is not the trap; attachment is. If work is offered beyond the ego, it leaves no stain.
Why this verse still matters
You send the message, make the hard apology, or sign the document that changes everything. What matters is not whether the moment feels clean, but whether you acted without clinging to the result.
“There is relief in acting fully without carrying the weight of ownership.”
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), vairagya (51 verses), attachment (20 verses)