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Chapter 5 · Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness · 29 verses

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Duty & actionChapter 5 · Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
5.105.12

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 5.11

Detached action performed in devotion

कायेन मनसा बुद्ध्या केवलैरिन्द्रियैरपि ।

योगिन: कर्म कुर्वन्ति सङ्गं त्यक्त्वात्म‍श‍ुद्धये ॥ ११ ॥

kāyena manasā buddhyā

kevalair indriyair api

yoginaḥ karma kurvanti

saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye

Translation

The yogīs, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

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

Acting for Purification

  1. 1Yogīs give up attachment and act with body, mind, intelligence and senses only for purification.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that acting to satisfy Kṛṣṇa purifies our actions and brings no material reactions.
  3. 3Use your body, mind, words and possessions in Kṛṣṇa’s service, knowing that you and your body belong to Him.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 5, Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: detached action performed in devotion.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Act dutifully without attachment to fruits.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: karma, sva-dharma.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 5.11 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to duty & action?

Practice

Do one task today purely because it is right.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 5 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 5.2Detached action performed in devotionBG 5.3Detached action performed in devotionBG 2.47Responsibility without ownership of outcomesBG 3.21Leadership by example

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

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Ask about BG 5.11 — 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.