A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Freedom comes when action is done without clutching its reward.”
Wise people, united in clarity, abandon the fruit born of action and reach the flawless state, free from the bondage of birth.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyborn of action · those united with discerning clarity · indeed · fruit · having abandoned · wise people · freed from the bondage of birth · state · they go · flawless, free from affliction
Wise people let go of the results of their actions. That freedom breaks the chain that keeps them bound to repeated birth and suffering.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 51 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
A daughter arranges her father's surgery, sits through the consent forms, and then cannot stop calculating every possible outcome. Her part is done well. Letting the result go is what frees her to sit beside him.
Did you like this verse?
The wise give up the fruit of action and, Krishna says, go free of the cycle of birth.
What this verse means
Wise people let go of the results of their actions. That freedom breaks the chain that keeps them bound to repeated birth and suffering.
Context & commentary
Krishna keeps teaching the same turning point: act with clear understanding, and let go of what the action produces. That release leads beyond bondage.
What it looks like today
A daughter arranges her father's surgery, sits through the consent forms, and then cannot stop calculating every possible outcome. Her part is done well. Letting the result go is what frees her to sit beside him.
“You can do the work and stop clutching the reward. That loosening brings real relief.”
Explore related themes: vairagya (51 verses), nishkama karma (12 verses), karma phala (10 verses)