Verse 18.49
असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः ।
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति ॥
Transliteration
asaktabuddhiḥ sarvatra jitātmā vigataspṛhaḥ |
naiṣkarmyasiddhiṃ paramāṃ saṃnyāsenādhigacchati ||
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3
Translation
He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has fled, he by renunciation, attains the supreme state of freedom from action.
From the owner's sheet · +1 more
One whose understanding is unattached everywhere, who has mastered himself and is free from longing, reaches through renunciation the supreme perfection of freedom from action.
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
The goal of all this is described. One whose understanding is unattached everywhere, who has mastered himself and is free from longing, reaches through renunciation (sannyāsa) the supreme perfection of naiṣkarmya, freedom from the binding power of action. The paradox is central to the Gita: freedom from action is reached not by refusing to act but by acting without attachment. Renunciation here means the inner renunciation described throughout the chapter.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08