Step 4 of 7 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.

  1. 1Tap a chapter, then a verse
  2. 2Read what it means
  3. 3Try the practice
700 verses37 detailed
Or browse by chapter
Chapter

Chapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation · 78 verses

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Soul & knowledgeChapter 18 · The Perfection of Renunciation
18.1618.18

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 18.17

The factors of action and the true doer

यस्य नाहंकृतो भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य न लिप्यते ।

हत्वापि स इमाँल्ल‍ोकान्न हन्ति न निबध्यते ॥ १७ ॥

yasya nāhaṅkṛto bhāvo

buddhir yasya na lipyate

hatvāpi sa imāḻ lokān

na hanti na nibadhyate

Translation

One who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, though he kills men in this world, does not kill. Nor is he bound by his actions.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Acting Without False Ego

  1. 1One free from false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, does not truly kill or become bound by actions, even when killing.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the Supreme Lord’s direction frees one from such reactions.
  3. 3Do not think of yourself as the independent doer. Recognize the Supreme Lord as the one who sanctions action.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 18, The Perfection of Renunciation: the factors of action and the true doer.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 18.17 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 18.13The factors of action and the true doerBG 18.14The factors of action and the true doerBG 2.13The self endures bodily changeBG 4.34The humility of real inquiry

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 18.17 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.