Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 18 Moksha Sannyasa Yogah

Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Better is one's own duty though imperfectly performed than the duty of another well performed. Performing the duty ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no sin.

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ||47||

Better is one's own duty though imperfectly performed than the duty of another well performed. Performing the duty ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no sin.

Śreyān: Better.
Svadharmaḥ: One's own duty.
Viguṇaḥ: Defective.
Kilbiṣam: Sin.

This verse contains one of the Gita's most important teachings—imperfect performance of one's own duty surpasses perfect execution of another's. This liberates us from comparing ourselves to others, focusing instead on authentic expression of our unique nature, however limited it might appear.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - One should not abandon, O son of Kunti, the duty to which one is born, though it is defective, for all undertakings are covered by defects as fire by smoke.

सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् |
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृता: ||48||

One should not abandon, O son of Kunti, the duty to which one is born, though it is defective, for all undertakings are covered by defects as fire by smoke.

Sahajaṃ: Born with one.
Sadoṣam: With defects.
Dhūmena: By smoke.
Āvṛtāḥ: Covered.

Krishna acknowledges the imperfection inherent in all action, offering a realistic spiritual path that accepts human limitation. By comparing defects to smoke covering fire, he shows how imperfection doesn't negate the essential value of dedicated action, encouraging perseverance despite inevitable flaws.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has fled, he attains through renunciation the supreme perfection of freedom from action.

असक्तबुद्धि: सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृह: |
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां सन्न्यासेनाधिगच्छति ||49||

He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has fled, he attains through renunciation the supreme perfection of freedom from action.

Asaktabuddhiḥ: Unattached intellect.
Jitātmā: Self-controlled.
Vigataspṛhaḥ: Free from desire.
Naiṣkarmyasiddhiṃ: Perfection of non-action.

Krishna reveals the paradoxical culmination of action—through dedicated performance of duty with detachment, one attains the state of non-action. This resolves the apparent contradiction between action and renunciation, showing how right action leads naturally to the freedom sought by renunciates.

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सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे |
समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ||50||

Learn from Me in brief, O son of Kunti, how he who has attained perfection reaches Brahman, that supreme state of knowledge.

Siddhi: Perfection.
Brahma: The Absolute.
Samāsena: In brief.
Niṣṭhā: Culmination.

Krishna transitions from philosophical explanation to practical guidance for attaining Brahman. By addressing Arjuna as "son of Kunti," he reaffirms their personal connection while offering the culminating wisdom that transforms theological understanding into direct spiritual realization.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self with firmness, abandoning sound and other sense objects, casting aside attraction and repulsion,

बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च |
शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च ||51||

Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self with firmness, abandoning sound and other sense objects, casting aside attraction and repulsion,

Buddhyā: With intellect.
Viśuddhayā: Purified.
Niyamya: Restraining.
Vyudasya: Casting aside.

These disciplines form the foundation of yogic integration, combining intellectual clarity with emotional stability and sensory discipline. Rather than compartmentalizing spiritual practice, Krishna shows how every aspect of human experience can be coordinated toward realization.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, controlling speech, body, and mind, ever engaged in meditation and concentration, taking refuge in dispassion,

विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानस: |
ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रित: ||52||

Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, controlling speech, body, and mind, ever engaged in meditation and concentration, taking refuge in dispassion,

Viviktasevī: Dwelling in solitude.
Laghvāśī: Eating lightly.
Yatavākkāya: Controlled speech and body.
Dhyānayogaparaḥ: Devoted to meditation.

The external disciplines of lifestyle support the internal practices of meditation. This balanced approach acknowledges both the inner and outer dimensions of spiritual life, showing how environmental and behavioral choices create the conditions for deeper contemplative absorption.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Having abandoned egotism, strength, arrogance, desire, anger, possession, free from the notion of "mine" and peaceful - he is fit for becoming Brahman.

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् |
विमुच्य निर्मम: शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ||53||

Having abandoned egotism, strength, arrogance, desire, anger, possession, free from the notion of "mine" and peaceful - he is fit for becoming Brahman.

Ahaṅkāraṃ: Ego.
Darpaṃ: Arrogance.
Parigraham: Possessiveness.
Nirmamaḥ: Without sense of ownership.

The abandonment of psychological impediments precedes spiritual realization. By identifying specific mental obstacles rather than speaking in generalities, Krishna provides practical guidance for self-examination, showing how specific egoic tendencies obstruct the experience of wholeness.

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