Verse 18.11
न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः ।
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥
Transliteration
na hi dehabhṛtā śakyaṃ tyaktuṃ karmāṇyaśeṣataḥ |
yastu karmaphalatyāgī sa tyāgītyabhidhīyate ||
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3
Translation
Verily, it is not possible for an embodied being to abandon actions entirely; but he who relinishes the rewards of actions is verily called a man of renunciation.
From the owner's sheet · +1 more
It is not possible for an embodied being to give up actions entirely; but one who gives up the fruit of action is called a relinquisher.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08 · +1 more
Word by word
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08
Explanation
Krishna gives a practical reason for his teaching. No embodied being can give up action completely; breathing, eating and thinking are all actions. Therefore the real relinquisher is the one who gives up the fruits of action. The verse echoes earlier teaching that no one can remain without acting even for a moment. It moves the question from whether to act to how to act, which is the Gita's constant concern.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08