Bhagavad Gita BG 18.11
Chapter 18, Verse 11 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः । यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥
na hi deha-bhrtA shakyam tyaktum karmany asheshatah yas tu karma-phala-tyagi sa tyagity abhidhiyate
Meaning
For it is not possible for an embodied being to give up actions entirely. But one who renounces the fruits of action is said to be a renunciant.
Understanding
The definitive resolution of the sannyasa-tyaga teaching: na hi deha-bhrtA shakyam karmany asheshatah tyaktum (it is truly not possible for an embodied being to give up actions entirely/without remainder — asheshatah = completely, without any residue). Yas tu karma-phala-tyagi (but one who renounces the fruits of action — karma-phala-tyagi = fruit-abandoner). Sa tyagi ity abhidhiyate (that one is called a tyagi — a renunciant). The practical resolution: since an embodied being cannot cease action entirely (even breathing, digestion, thought are actions), the true renunciation is not of action but of the fruits of action. The karma-phala-tyagi IS the tyagi. This verse crystallizes the entire karma yoga teaching in its simplest form.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| देहभृता | deha-bhrta | one who bears/carries a body, an embodied being |
| अशेषतः | asheshatah | entirely, completely, without any remainder (a-shesha = without residue) |
| कर्मफलत्यागी | karma-phala-tyagi | one who renounces the fruits of action (karma = action, phala = fruit, tyagi = renouncer) |
| अभिधीयते | abhidhiyate | is called, is designated, is said to be |
| न | na hi | never indeed |
| देह-भृता | deha-bhṛtā | by the embodied |
| शक्यम् | śakyam | possible |
| त्यक्तुम् | tyaktum | to give up |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | actions |
| अशेषतः | aśeṣataḥ | completely |
| यः | yaḥ tu | but one who |
| कर्म-फल-त्यागी | karma-phala-tyāgī | renouncer of the fruits of action |
| सः | saḥ | that one |
| त्यागी | tyāgī iti | "renouncer" |
| अभिधीयते | abhidhīyate | is called |
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