Devanagari
एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च ।
कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ॥ ६ ॥
Verse text
etāny api tu karmāṇi
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca
kartavyānīti me pārtha
niścitaṁ matam uttamam
Synonyms
etāni
—
all these
;
api
—
certainly
;
tu
—
but
;
karmāṇi
—
activities
;
saṅgam
—
association
;
tyaktvā
—
renouncing
;
phalāni
—
results
;
ca
—
also
;
kartavyāni
—
should be done as duty
;
iti
—
thus
;
me
—
My
;
pārtha
—
O son of Pṛthā
;
niścitam
—
definite
;
matam
—
opinion
;
uttamam
—
the best.
Translation
All these activities should be performed without attachment or any expectation of result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Pṛthā. That is My final opinion.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
6. These actions must be done, but without the misconception of being the doer and without longing for results. This is My final opinion.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
6. These actions must be done, but without the misconception of being the doer and without longing for results. This is My final opinion.
Purport
Although all sacrifices are purifying, one should not expect any result by such performances. In other words, all sacrifices which are meant for material advancement in life should be given up, but sacrifices that purify one’s existence and elevate one to the spiritual plane should not be stopped. Everything that leads to Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be encouraged. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also it is said that any activity which leads to devotional service to the Lord should be accepted. That is the highest criterion of religion. A devotee of the Lord should accept any kind of work, sacrifice or charity which will help him in the discharge of devotional service to the Lord.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In this verse the Lord shows the method by which these actions become purifying.
Giving up the misconception of being the doer (saṅgaṁ tyaktvā) and also giving up the quest for results (phalāni), one should perform those actions. Giving up the idea of being the doer and giving up seeking results is tyāga and this is also called sannyāsa.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In this verse, the Lord speaks of how the sacrifices and other acts are purifying. Having given up the idea of being the agent (saṅgam) and giving up all the results (phalāni) which the actions are said to produce, such as going to pitṛloka, one should do the actions only with the thought that they are worship of the Lord. This is the highest conclusion (uttamam matam) discerned by Me (niścitam). This conclusion of the Lord about tyāga is the best because it includes additionally renunciation of being the doer.
Surrender Unto Me
The opinion that Krsna gives here, because it is His opinion it is superior to the opinions of others that Krsna presented previously. And Krsna explains here that all these activities should be performed without attachment, without any expectation of result. This is His opinion and this means that is not the activity that has to be given up, is not the activity that causes one trouble. The problem that we have is the consciousness, the false ego in which we perform the activity, thinking that 'I am the enjoyer. I am performing the activity, let me get the fruit and enjoy.'
Krsna speaks here of the true standard of tyaga being only internal renunciation and at the same time, externally, one should perform one's duty. This is Krsna 's prescription here in the Bhagavad‑gita ‑ do one's duty externally and internally one should be completely renounced.
If Arjuna follows this prescription, that he should fight, but detached from the results.
Krsna defined, previously, tyaga of three kinds, now He is going to define three kinds of nitya‑sannyasis, and we will see here, in next text, that Krsna uses both words, sannyasa and tyaga, and this is giving a hint to Krsna's answer to the question:'are sannyasa or tyaga the same or are they different?' Some opinions were that they are different but Krsna's opinion here is that the renounced order of life and renunciation of the fruits of one's work, are exactly the same.
But now Krsna is going to describe one of those types of sannysa or so‑called renunciation of work.