Bhagavad Gita BG 5.10
Chapter 5, Verse 10 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः । लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥
brahmany adhaya karmani sangam tyaktva karoti yah lipyate na sa papena padma-patram ivambhasa
Meaning
One who performs actions by resting them in Brahman, abandoning attachment — that one is not tainted by sin, as the lotus leaf is not tainted by water.
Understanding
Two conditions for acting without bondage: brahmany adhaya karmani (resting actions in Brahman — offering all activity to the Divine, not keeping it for ego-satisfaction) and sangam tyaktva (abandoning attachment — not holding to results). The image: padma-patra iva ambhasa — the lotus leaf in water. The lotus rests in water, is surrounded by water — but never gets wet, never soaks. The action touches the liberated person; the bondage does not.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ब्रह्मणि | brahmani | in Brahman, in the Divine, in the Absolute |
| आधाय | adhaya | having rested, having placed, having offered |
| सङ्गम् | sangam | attachment, clinging to results |
| पद्मपत्रम् | padma-patram | lotus leaf |
| अम्भसा | ambhasa | by water |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | actions / deeds |
| त्यक्त्वा | tyaktvā | having abandoned / giving up |
| करोति | karoti | performs / does (with dedication to Brahman) |
| यः | yaḥ | he who / one who |
| लिप्यते | lipyate | is tainted / is smeared / is affected |
| न | na | not (not tainted by sin) |
| सः | saḥ | he (that person) |
| पापेन | pāpena | by sin / by evil |
| इव | iva | like / as (simile marker) |