The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
ब्रह्मणिin Brahmanआधायhaving placedकर्माणिactionsसङ्गम्attachmentत्यक्त्वाhaving abandonedकरोतिdoesयःwhoलिप्यतेis stainedनnotसःheपापेनby wrongdoingपद्मपत्रम्lotus leafइवlikeअम्भसाby water
Read literallyin Brahman · having placed · actions · attachment · having abandoned · does · who · is stained · not · he · by wrongdoing · lotus leaf · like · by water
Understanding the verse
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A lotus leaf sits in water and stays dry; so does one who offers actions to Brahman without attachment.
Do your actions without clinging to them, and they do not bind you. Like a lotus leaf in water, you remain untouched.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
Krishna explains to Arjuna, frozen between duty and grief, that the trap lies in attachment, and action alone does not bind. If work is offered beyond the ego, it leaves no stain.
03
In your life
What it looks like today
A police officer handles ugly cases every week and goes home without carrying the bitterness to his children. Krishna's lotus leaf fits him: work done as an offering, without attachment, leaves no stain.
The takeaway
“Act without clinging and offer the work, and wrongdoing will not stick to you.”
Do your actions without clinging to them, and they do not bind you. Like a lotus leaf in water, you remain untouched.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 5.10?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Sanyasa Yoga" (The Yoga of Renunciation).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 5.10?
Verse 10 sits in Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Sanyasa Yoga, "The Yoga of Renunciation". The chapter has 29 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 5.10 matter today?
A police officer handles ugly cases every week and goes home without carrying the bitterness to his children. Krishna's lotus leaf fits him: work done as an offering, without attachment, leaves no stain.
A lotus leaf sits in water and stays dry; so does one who offers actions to Brahman without attachment.
What this verse means
Do your actions without clinging to them, and they do not bind you. Like a lotus leaf in water, you remain untouched.
Context & commentary
Krishna explains to Arjuna, frozen between duty and grief, that the trap lies in attachment, and action alone does not bind. If work is offered beyond the ego, it leaves no stain.
What it looks like today
A police officer handles ugly cases every week and goes home without carrying the bitterness to his children. Krishna's lotus leaf fits him: work done as an offering, without attachment, leaves no stain.
“Act without clinging and offer the work, and wrongdoing will not stick to you.”
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), vairagya (51 verses), attachment (20 verses)