Chapter 5 opens with Arjuna asking the question again: should he act, or renounce action (5.1)? Krishna gives a direct answer. Both lead to the highest good, and karma yoga, selfless action, is better (5.2). The rest of the chapter describes someone who is free inside while still in the middle of things.
Its 29 verses include the lotus leaf that water doesn't wet (5.10) and the sage who looks with an equal eye (sama-darśinaḥ) on a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste (5.18).
Verses 5.2–5.3 · The Resolution
Both Paths Work, and One Is Better
By now Arjuna has heard that he should act without attachment, do his duty, offer everything to Krishna, and know the self. He has also heard teaching that sounds like renunciation. In 5.1 he asks which it is, and Krishna answers.
Bhagavad Gita 5.2Speaker: Krishna
संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥
saṃnyāsaḥ karmayogaśca niḥśreyasakarāvubhau |
tayostu karmasaṃnyāsātkarmayogo viśiṣyate ||
tayostu karmasaṃnyāsātkarmayogo viśiṣyate ||
Meaning
Both renunciation and the yoga of action lead to the highest good. But of the two, karma yoga is superior to renunciation of action.
The practical answer
This settles the either/or that has been building since Chapter 2. Both paths work, and karma yoga is called better (viśiṣyate). In 5.6 Krishna adds that renunciation is hard to reach without yoga.
“Renunciation and karma yoga both lead to the highest good; karma yoga is better.”
Read full verse + audio →Bhagavad Gita 5.3Speaker: Krishna
ज्ञेयः स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ॥
निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ॥
jñeyaḥ sa nityasaṃnyāsī yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati |
nirdvandvo hi mahābāho sukhaṃ bandhātpramucyate ||
nirdvandvo hi mahābāho sukhaṃ bandhātpramucyate ||
Meaning
One who neither hates nor craves for anything is to be known as ever-renounced. Free from all dualities, O Arjuna, one is easily liberated from bondage.
The deeper understanding
Krishna defines the renouncer (nitya-sannyāsī) by what goes on inside: no hatred, no craving. A trader who neither craves gain nor resents loss counts as a renouncer by this test, whatever he wears.
“One who neither hates nor craves is always a renouncer and is easily freed.”
Read full verse + audio →So Arjuna doesn't have to leave the world; he has to let go of his grip on it. On this test a householder who acts without attachment is more of a renouncer than an ascetic who wants spiritual prestige.
Verse 5.10 · The Lotus Leaf
The Lotus Leaf Metaphor: Being in Water Without Getting Wet
The lotus leaf sits on water and stays dry. Krishna uses it for a person who takes full part in life without being stained by it.
Bhagavad Gita 5.10Speaker: Krishna
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥
brahmaṇyādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ |
lipyate na sa pāpena padmapatramivāmbhasā ||
lipyate na sa pāpena padmapatramivāmbhasā ||
Meaning
One who acts, offering all actions to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is untouched by sin, like a lotus leaf untouched by water.
The teaching within the metaphor
The condition is in the first half of the verse: brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi, placing the actions in Brahman, and saṅgaṃ tyaktvā, giving up attachment. With those two in place, work, family and conflict don't stick.
“Offering actions to Brahman without attachment, one is untouched by sin, like a lotus leaf by water.”
Read full verse + audio →"He is not stained by sin, as a lotus leaf is not wetted by water."Bhagavad Gita 5.10
Arjuna is still asked to act. He does the work and offers it to Brahman (brahmaṇy ādhāya, 5.10), and what follows from it doesn't stick to him, the way water runs off a lotus leaf.
Verse 5.18 · Equal Vision
Equal Vision
In the middle of Chapter 5 comes a verse about how the wise regard others.
Bhagavad Gita 5.18Speaker: Krishna
विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥
vidyāvinayasaṃpanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini |
śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||
śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||
Meaning
The wise see with equal vision a learned and humble brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater.
What equal vision means
Equal vision (sama-darśinaḥ) still sees difference. The wise person's regard for a being doesn't change with its status, species or looks. The list runs from a learned brahmin to the śvapāka, the dog-eater, an outcaste at the bottom of the social order of the time.
“The wise look equally on a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.”
Read full verse + audio →A note on social difference: The verse doesn't deny social difference, but it says social difference doesn't decide spiritual worth. In 5.19 Krishna adds that Brahman is flawless and even (nirdoṣaṃ hi samaṃ brahma).
Verse 5.24 · Happiness Within
The Source of Peace Is Internal
Verses 5.21–24 come back to one point: lasting happiness comes from within, and pleasures born of contact with objects end in pain (5.22).
Bhagavad Gita 5.24Speaker: Krishna
योऽन्तःसुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव यः ।
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ॥
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ॥
yo'ntaḥsukho'ntarārāmastathāntarjyotireva yaḥ |
sa yogī brahmanirvāṇaṃ brahmabhūto'dhigacchati ||
sa yogī brahmanirvāṇaṃ brahmabhūto'dhigacchati ||
Meaning
One who finds happiness within, who is pleased within, who is illuminated within, that yogi attains Brahman-nirvana and becomes Brahman.
The direction of attention
Three "within" words in one verse: antaḥ-sukhaḥ (happiness within), antar-ārāmaḥ (delight within), antar-jyotiḥ (light within). Such a yogi, Krishna says, becomes Brahman.
“One whose happiness, delight and light are within becomes Brahman and reaches brahma-nirvana.”
Read full verse + audio →Verse 5.29 · The Final Word
Knowing Krishna as Friend
Chapter 5 ends with a statement about Krishna himself: whoever knows him as the friend of all beings attains peace.
Bhagavad Gita 5.29Speaker: Krishna
भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥
bhoktāraṃ yajñatapasāṃ sarvalokamaheśvaram |
suhṛdaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ jñātvā māṃ śāntimṛcchati ||
suhṛdaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ jñātvā māṃ śāntimṛcchati ||
Meaning
Having known me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all the worlds, and the sincere friend of all living beings, one attains peace.
The key word
The key word is suhṛdam, a well-wishing friend. The same Krishna who receives all sacrifices and rules all worlds is described as the friend of every being, and knowing (jñātvā) him this way brings peace (śāntim).
“Knowing Krishna as enjoyer of sacrifices, lord of all worlds and friend of all beings, one finds peace.”
Read full verse + audio →Chapter 5 ends with a promise. In 5.29 Krishna calls himself suhṛdaṃ sarva-bhūtānām, the friend of every being, and says that whoever knows him this way finds peace.
All 29 Verses At a Glance
The Complete Verse Reference
| Verse | Speaker | Teaching Essence |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Arjuna | Arjuna says Krishna praises both renouncing action and yoga, and asks which is better |
| 5.2 | Krishna | Renunciation and karma yoga both lead to the highest good; karma yoga is better |
| 5.3 | Krishna | One who neither hates nor craves is always a renouncer and is easily freed |
| 5.4 | Krishna | Only the unwise say Sankhya and yoga differ; either, done fully, gives the fruit of both |
| 5.5 | Krishna | The state reached by Sankhya is reached by yoga too; who sees them as one sees truly |
| 5.6 | Krishna | Renunciation is hard to reach without yoga; the sage trained in yoga soon reaches Brahman |
| 5.7 | Krishna | One trained in yoga, pure and self-controlled, who sees his self in all, is not stained by acting |
| 5.8 | Krishna | The knower of truth thinks "I do nothing" while seeing, hearing, eating or breathing |
| 5.9 | Krishna | Even while speaking or grasping, he knows the senses are moving among their objects |
| 5.10 | Krishna | Offering actions to Brahman without attachment, one is untouched by sin, like a lotus leaf by water |
| 5.11 | Krishna | Yogis act with body, mind, intellect and senses alone, without attachment, to purify themselves |
| 5.12 | Krishna | Giving up the fruits, the yogi finds lasting peace; one driven by desire is bound |
| 5.13 | Krishna | Renouncing all actions in the mind, the self-controlled dwells at ease in the city of nine gates |
| 5.14 | Krishna | The Lord does not create doership, actions or their link to fruits; nature does this |
| 5.15 | Krishna | The Lord takes on neither the sin nor the merit of anyone; ignorance covers knowledge |
| 5.16 | Krishna | For those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, it lights up the Supreme like the sun |
| 5.17 | Krishna | Minds fixed on That, their faults washed off by knowledge, they are not born again |
| 5.18 | Krishna | The wise look equally on a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste |
| 5.19 | Krishna | Those whose minds rest in equality have conquered rebirth here; Brahman is flawless and even |
| 5.20 | Krishna | Not elated by the pleasant nor upset by the unpleasant, steady and clear, one rests in Brahman |
| 5.21 | Krishna | Unattached to outer contacts, one finds happiness in the self, and lasting joy in Brahman |
| 5.22 | Krishna | Pleasures born of contact are sources of pain, with a beginning and an end; the wise avoid them |
| 5.23 | Krishna | One who can withstand the push of desire and anger before death is a yogi and is happy |
| 5.24 | Krishna | One whose happiness, delight and light are within becomes Brahman and reaches brahma-nirvana |
| 5.25 | Krishna | Sages free of sin and doubt, devoted to the good of all beings, reach brahma-nirvana |
| 5.26 | Krishna | For ascetics free of desire and anger, with minds controlled, brahma-nirvana is near |
| 5.27 | Krishna | Shut out outer contacts, fix the gaze between the brows, even out the breath |
| 5.28 | Krishna | With senses, mind and intellect controlled, free of desire, fear and anger, such a sage is free |
| 5.29 | Krishna | Knowing Krishna as enjoyer of sacrifices, lord of all worlds and friend of all beings, one finds peace |
Revised October 2026: corrected the reading of 5.2 (it says karma yoga is better, without "for most people"), the 5.10 pull quote, the removed app plugs, and the verse summaries in the table; copy edited.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 about?
Chapter 5, called Karma Sanyasa Yoga (the Yoga of Renunciation of Action), takes up the question of renunciation versus action that runs through Chapters 2, 3 and 4. Krishna says both lead to the highest good, but karma yoga, selfless action, is better (5.2). The chapter also has the teaching of equal vision (5.18) and the lotus leaf image (5.10), and it ends with 5.29, on knowing Krishna as the friend of all beings.
What is the lotus leaf teaching in the Gita?
Found in verse 5.10. Krishna says that one who acts without attachment, offering the actions to Brahman, is not stained by sin, as a lotus leaf is not wetted by the water it sits in. The image is for living among work, family and conflict without being stained by them.
What is "sama-darshitvam" in the Bhagavad Gita?
Sama-darshitvam means "equal vision" or "equal-sightedness." In 5.18 the wise (paṇḍitāḥ) look with an equal eye on a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste. They still see the differences, but those differences don't change how they regard each being.
What does Gita 5.29 mean?
Verse 5.29 is the closing verse of Chapter 5: "One who knows me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the Lord of all worlds, and the friend of all beings, attains peace." The key word is suhṛdam, well-wishing friend. Chapter 5 ends by saying that knowing Krishna this way brings peace.
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5?
Chapter 5 has 29 verses, making it one of the shorter chapters. It covers renunciation versus action, equal vision, and happiness that comes from within (5.21–24).