Karma in the Bhagavad Gita
What you do, you become. Karma is the Gita's word for action — and its central question is whether action enslaves you or sets you free. These are the verses where Krishna answers.
- 3.14Ch. 3
Action sustains the cycle that makes life possible.
Your actions are not isolated; they feed the whole web that sustains life.
- 4.13Ch. 4
The source of order stands outside the order it creates.
You can participate in structure without being trapped by it.
- 4.33Ch. 4
Knowledge is the point where every action finally comes to rest.
It brings relief: what you do is not wasted, because action can mature into understanding.
- 6.46Ch. 6
Inner mastery outranks every outer path.
There is relief in knowing that inner steadiness matters more than any single method or achievement.
- 7.29Ch. 7
Refuge in the divine opens total understanding of reality, inner life, and action.
Seeking freedom can become a complete understanding of life, not just an escape from it.
- 16.19Ch. 16
Repeated hatred drives a person into worse and worse forms of existence.
Cruelty narrows the future. Repeated hostility keeps a person trapped in worse patterns.
- 18.8Ch. 18
Fearful withdrawal is not freedom; it is avoidance wearing a noble name.
Real letting go is clear and strong, not scared and avoidant.
- 18.13Ch. 18
Action has many causes; the ego is not the whole story.
It loosens the grip of self-blame and pride. Not everything that happens is carried by one doer.
- 18.14Ch. 18
Action has many causes, and no one factor owns the result.
It softens blame and pride. Not everything that happens can be reduced to one person’s will.
- 18.15Ch. 18
Every deed comes from five causes, not one isolated doer.
You are not the lone maker of your actions; many forces are already at work.
- 18.19Ch. 18
Every action, knower, and deed carries the mark of a quality.
It reminds you that not all thinking, acting, or acting-from-self is the same.