Bhagavad Gita 18.2 meaningLetting go — and standing up
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Letting go means not clinging to the results of what you do.”
What it means
Krishna answers: “The wise say renunciation means giving up actions driven by selfish desire. Letting go means giving up attachment to the results of every action.”
The original Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच । काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः । सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca kāmyānāṃ karmaṇāṃ nyāsaṃ saṃnyāsaṃ kavayo viduḥ sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ prāhustyāgaṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ
Translations
Literal translation
The Blessed Lord said: The learned ones know sannyasa to be the giving up of actions done with a desire for reward. The adepts call the abandonment of the results of all works as tyaga.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
श्रीभगवान् ने कहा -- (कुछ) कवि (पण् डित) जन काम्य कर्मों के त्याग को "संन्यास" समझते हैं और विचारशील जन समस्त कर्मों के फलों के त्याग को "त्याग" कहते हैं।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 18.3“Some thinkers say all action should be given up because it's tainted. Others say giving, discipline and acts of service should never be given up.”