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 6 · Dhyāna-yoga · 47 verses

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Duty & actionChapter 6 · Dhyāna-yoga
6.36.5

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 6.4

Renunciation in the midst of action

यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्ज‍ते ।

सर्वसङ्कल्पसन्न्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते ॥ ४ ॥

yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu

na karmasv anuṣajjate

sarva-saṅkalpa-sannyāsī

yogārūḍhas tadocyate

Translation

A person is said to be elevated in yoga when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

Progress in Yoga

  1. 1A person rises in yoga by giving up material desires and no longer acting for sense pleasure or personal rewards.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that loving service to the Lord brings inner satisfaction and freedom from seeking sense pleasure.
  3. 3Try to do everything for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction rather than your own sense pleasure.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 6, Dhyāna-yoga: renunciation in the midst of action.

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 6.4 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

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 6.1Renunciation in the midst of actionBG 6.2Renunciation in the midst of actionBG 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.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 6.4 — 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.