Bhagavad Gita BG 9.9
Chapter 9, Verse 9 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
न च मां तानि कर्माणि निबध्नन्ति धनञ्जय । उदासीनवदासीनं असक्तं तेषु कर्मसु ॥
na ca mam tani karmani nibadhnanti dhananjaya udasina-vad asinam asaktam teshu karmasu
Meaning
And these actions do not bind Me, O Dhananjaya — seated as one indifferent, unattached to these actions.
Understanding
The crucial point: na mam tani karmani nibadhnanti (these actions — the cosmic actions of creation and dissolution — do not bind Me). Udasina-vat asinam (seated as though indifferent — udasina literally means 'seated apart'). Asaktam (unattached). The creator of the universe creates and dissolves without being bound or attached. This is not indifference in the negative sense but transcendent equanimity — the cosmic witness who participates in everything and is affected by nothing. This is the perfect model for karma yoga: action without attachment.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| निबध्नन्ति | nibadhnanti | bind, tie, constrain |
| उदासीनवत् | udasina-vat | as if indifferent, like one sitting apart |
| आसीनम् | asinam | seated, remaining |
| असक्तम् | asaktam | unattached, without clinging |
| न | na | not |
| च | ca | and |
| माम् | mām | Me |
| तानि | tāni | those |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | actions |
| धनञ्जय | dhanañjaya | O Arjuna |
| उदासीन-वत् | udāsīna-vat | like one indifferent, like a neutral |
| आसीनम् | āsīnam | seated, situated |
| तेषु | teṣu | in those |
| कर्मसु | karmasu | in actions |