सन्न्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वम् इच्छामि वेदितुम् । त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश पृथक् केशिनिषूदन ॥
sannyāsasya mahābāho tattvam icchāmi veditum | tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthak keśi-niṣūdana ||
Arjuna asks: what is sannyāsa vs. tyāga? Tell me distinctly, O Mighty-armed, Hṛṣīkeśa, Keśi-slayer.
Word by word (3)
- sannyāsasya mahābāho tattvam icchāmi veditum
- — of sannyāsa (renunciation/complete abandonment) — O Mighty-armed (mahābāho) — I desire (icchāmi) to know (veditum) the truth/essence (tattvam)
- tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthak
- — and (ca) of tyāga (abandonment/relinquishment) — O Hṛṣīkeśa (Lord of the senses) — distinctly/separately (pṛthak = apart, specifically) — Arjuna asks for a clear distinction between the two terms
- keśi-niṣūdana
- — O slayer of Keśi (keśi-niṣūdana) — three addresses in one verse: mahābāho (mighty-armed = power), hṛṣīkeśa (sense-controller = wisdom), keśi-niṣūdana (demon-slayer = protection) — invoking Krishna's full nature
O Mighty-armed! O Lord of the senses! O Slayer of Keśi! I desire to know the truth about sannyāsa and tyāga — distinctly.
A modern analogy
Arjuna's question here is like asking the difference between 'retiring from work' vs. 'working without attachment to a salary.' Both involve a kind of letting go — but sannyāsa traditionally means leaving the work entirely, while tyāga means staying in action but releasing the fruit. Ch.18 will show that the Gita's answer is more nuanced than either extreme.
Ch.18 V1 opens the final chapter of the Gita with Arjuna's most philosophically precise question. Having heard all eighteen chapters of teaching, Arjuna now asks for a clarification of the two key terms that have run through the Gita: sannyāsa (renunciation) and tyāga (abandonment). This question connects back to Ch.3's opening question (V1-2: if jñāna is better, why this ghora karma?) and Ch.5's question (V1: sannyāsa or yoga?). Ch.18 is the Gita's final synthesis — V1's question frames the entire chapter.
The three epithets — mahābāho, hṛṣīkeśa, keśi-niṣūdana — are philosophically chosen. Mahābāho (powerful) = Arjuna acknowledges Krishna's capacity to act powerfully while remaining unbound. Hṛṣīkeśa (sense-controller) = the one who governs the senses — relevant to both sannyāsa and tyāga. Keśi-niṣūdana (demon-slayer) = the one who destroys obstacles — asking for clarification of what must be 'slain' in spiritual life.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Of sannyāsa, O Mighty-armed, I desire to know the truth, O Hrishikesha, as also of tyāga — distinctly, O Keshi-slayer. [1]
MISSING from index — SW index has wrong verse at key 18.1. Ganguli and Telang used as primary. [4]
O you of mighty arms! O Hrishikesha! O destroyer of Kesin! I wish to know the truth about renunciation and abandonment distinctly. [9]
Of renunciation, O thou of mighty arms, I desire to know the true nature, and also of abandonment, O lord of the senses — distinctly, O slayer of Kesi. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Abandon all dharmas, take refuge in Me alone — I will liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.
Action renounced through yoga, doubt cut by knowledge, self-possessed — actions cannot bind that person.
Jñāna beats abhyāsa, dhyāna beats jñāna — but karma-phala-tyāga beats all; from tyāga, peace follows at once!
The āsurī know neither pravṛtti nor nivṛtti; purity, good conduct, and truth are all absent in them.
Renouncing ordained/niyata karma is not appropriate; its abandonment through delusion is declared tāmasic.
Learn these five causes of all action from Me, O Mighty-armed — as declared in the Sāṃkhya final teaching.