Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 18 Moksha Sannyasa Yogah

Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - But that action which is done by one longing for pleasures, or done with egoism, or with much effort, that is declared to be rajasic.

यत्तुकामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुन: |
क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ||24||

But that action which is done by one longing for pleasures, or done with egoism, or with much effort, that is declared to be rajasic.

Kāmepsunā: Desiring pleasures.
Sāhaṅkāreṇa: With egoism.
Bahulāyāsaṃ: With great effort.
Udāhṛtam: Is declared.

Rajasic action reveals how desire and ego-involvement complicate our activities, requiring excessive effort while yielding less meaningful results. This middle category shows how most human action becomes tiring and ultimately unsatisfying when motivated by personal desires.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - That action which is undertaken from delusion, without regard to the consequences, loss, injury, and ability, that is declared to be tamasic.

अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् |
मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यतत्तामसमुच्यते ||25||

That action which is undertaken from delusion, without regard to the consequences, loss, injury, and ability, that is declared to be tamasic.

Anubandhaṃ: Future consequences.
Kṣayaṃ: Loss or waste.
Hiṃsām: Injury.
Pauruṣaṃ: Human capacity.

Tamasic action represents the most harmful category—actions undertaken without consideration of consequences, harm to others, or personal capacity. By highlighting how delusion leads to destructive behavior, Krishna completes his analysis of the quality of actions.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - An agent who is free from attachment, non-egotistic, endowed with firmness and enthusiasm, and unaffected by success or failure, is called sattvic.

मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित: |
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ||26||

An agent who is free from attachment, non-egotistic, endowed with firmness and enthusiasm, and unaffected by success or failure, is called sattvic.

Muktasaṅgo: Free from attachment.
Anahaṃvādī: Non-egotistic.
Dhṛtyutsāha: Firmness and enthusiasm.
Nirvikaraḥ: Unaffected.

The sattvic doer represents the ideal agent who acts from wisdom rather than ego. This equanimity toward success and failure enables consistent performance of duty without the emotional turbulence that typically accompanies action, exemplifying the "skill in action" Krishna advocates.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Passionate, desiring to obtain the fruits of actions, greedy, harmful, impure, moved by joy and sorrow, such an agent is said to be rajasic.

रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचि: |
हर्षशोकान्वित: कर्ता राजस: परिकीर्तित: ||27||

Passionate, desiring to obtain the fruits of actions, greedy, harmful, impure, moved by joy and sorrow, such an agent is said to be rajasic.

Rāgī: Passionate.
Lubdho: Greedy.
Hiṃsātmako: Harmful nature.
Aśuchiḥ: Impure.

The rajasic doer portrays common human motivation—passionate pursuit of results, emotional reactivity, and self-interest. This creates an endless cycle of elation and disappointment, as the actor remains emotionally entangled with outcomes beyond their control.

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अयुक्त: प्राकृत: स्तब्ध: शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलस: |
विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते ||28||

Unsteady, vulgar, unbending, cheating, malicious, lazy, despondent, and procrastinating, such an agent is called tamasic.

Ayuktaḥ: Unsteady.
Stabdhaḥ: Unbending.
Naiṣkṛtiko: Deceitful.
Dīrghasūtrī: Procrastinating.

The tamasic doer embodies the lowest quality of action—characterized by inconsistency, dishonesty, and procrastination. These qualities prevent effective action of any kind, spiritual or material, highlighting how tamas obstructs both worldly success and spiritual progress.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Hear the threefold division of intellect and firmness according to the gunas, as I declare them fully and distinctly, O Dhananjaya.

बुद्धेर्भेदं धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं शृणु |
प्रोच्यमानमशेषेण पृथक्त्वेन धनञ्जय ||29||

Hear the threefold division of intellect and firmness according to the gunas, as I declare them fully and distinctly, O Dhananjaya.

Buddheḥ: Of intellect.
Dhṛteḥ: Of firmness.
Pṛthaktvena: Distinctly.
Dhanaṃjaya: Wealth-winner (Arjuna).

Krishna now shifts to analyzing the intellect and determination according to the gunas. By addressing Arjuna as "Dhananjaya" (wealth-conqueror), he subtly reminds him of his capacity for discipline and achievement, preparing him to understand these crucial mental faculties.

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Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - That intellect which knows the paths of action and renunciation, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that is sattvic, O Partha.

प्रवृत्तिंच निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये |
बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्तिबुद्धि: सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ||30||

That intellect which knows the paths of action and renunciation, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that is sattvic, O Partha.

Pravṛttiṃ: Activity.
Nivṛttiṃ: Inactivity.
Kāryākārye: What should and should not be done.
Bandhamoḳṣaṃ: Bondage and liberation.

Sattvic intellect possesses discernment that transcends superficial appearances, recognizing both what promotes spiritual freedom and what causes bondage. This discriminative wisdom enables correct choices even in complex ethical situations, providing inner certainty amid outer confusion.

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