A core teaching · reflective in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Freedom arrives when the mind stops reaching outward.”
One whose mind is detached everywhere, who has mastered the self, and who is free from craving attains the highest perfection of non-action through renunciation.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallydetached-minded · everywhere · one who has conquered the self · free from craving · perfection of non-action · highest · through renunciation · attains
A person who is detached everywhere, self-controlled, and free from craving reaches the highest state of actionlessness through renunciation.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Moksha Sanyasa Yoga" (Liberation through Renunciation).
Verse 49 sits in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, "Liberation through Renunciation". The chapter has 78 verses in total.
You finish a hard conversation and keep replaying it for approval. The mind that stops reaching for praise finds a quieter kind of strength.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna describes one with a detached mind, self-mastery and no craving, who reaches naishkarmya siddhi through renunciation.
What this verse means
A person who is detached everywhere, self-controlled, and free from craving reaches the highest state of actionlessness through renunciation.
Context & commentary
After Krishna has urged Arjuna to do his own duty without clinging, he now describes the inner state that makes freedom possible. The body stands in battle, but the mind no longer reaches outward for possession or reward.
What it looks like today
You finish a hard conversation and keep replaying it for approval. The mind that stops reaching for praise finds a quieter kind of strength.
“Freedom from binding action comes when the mind stops grasping and is under your control.”
Explore related themes: sannyasa (12 verses)