Verse 18.5

यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् ।

यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ॥

18.5

Transliteration

yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyaṃ kāryameva tat |

yajño dānaṃ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed; sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

acts of sacrifice charity and austerity
not
to be given up
to be done
surely
that

sacrifice
charity
austerity
and
indeed
purifiers
of the wise

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Krishna sides firmly with the view that sacrifice, giving and austerity must not be given up. They should be done, because they purify even the wise. The point is significant: these acts are not only for beginners; even those who understand deeply benefit from them. The verse rejects the idea that spiritual maturity means withdrawing from all duties. For Arjuna, it reinforces the message that the path forward lies through right action, not through abandoning it.

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08