कार्यम् इत्य् एव यत् कर्म नियतं क्रियते ऽर्जुन । सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः ॥
kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṃ kriyate 'rjuna | saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalaṃ caiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ ||
Sāttvic tyāga: niyata karma done ONLY because 'this must be done,' having abandoned attachment and fruit.
Word by word (3)
- kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṃ kriyate 'rjuna
- — the prescribed/niyata (niyatam) action (karma) that is performed (kriyate) O Arjuna, ONLY with the conviction 'this must be done' (kāryam ity eva = it is to be done — thus only) — the sāttvic motivation is pure duty-sense: 'this must be done' not 'I will gain from this'
- saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalaṃ caiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ
- — having abandoned (tyaktvā) attachment (saṅgam) and also (ca eva) fruit (phalam) — that (sa) tyāga is considered (mataḥ = regarded) sāttvic (sāttvika) — the double release: attachment to the act itself + expectation of fruit from it
- kāryam ity eva
- — only thus: 'it is to be done' — the sāttvic tyāga's inner voice is precisely this simple: not 'I want to,' not 'I fear punishment if I don't,' but 'this is duty and duty must be performed.' The eva (only) is emphatic: the SOLE motivation is duty itself
When prescribed action is performed, O Arjuna, only because it ought to be done, having abandoned attachment and also fruit — that tyāga is considered sāttvic.
A modern analogy
Sāttvic tyāga is the inner posture of a firefighter who runs into a burning building — not thinking about the danger to themselves, not thinking about a reward or recognition, simply because 'this must be done.' The kāryam ity eva is the clean, clear motivation. The dual saṅga-phala tyāga means: not attached to being 'the heroic firefighter' AND not thinking 'I'll get a citation for this.'
V9 is the sāttvic tyāga and the Gita's definitive practical answer to the sannyāsa/tyāga debate that opened Ch.18. It unifies V2's conceptual distinction (sannyāsa = kāmya abandonment; tyāga = fruit release) with V5-6's practical rule (yajña-dāna-tapas kāryam eva + saṅga-phala tyāga) into a single formula: kāryam ity eva (duty alone motivates) + saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalaṃ caiva (dual release). This is the karma yogin's complete inner posture, stated as precisely as possible.
The contrast V8 vs. V9 is exact: V8 = duḥkham iti (calling it painful = self-comfort seeking); V9 = kāryam iti eva (calling it duty = selfless engagement). The same action in two inner frames: one rājasic (self-comfort driven), one sāttvic (duty-driven). The external act may be identical; the inner quality is entirely different. This is the Gita's core insight about karma: the guṇa-quality of an action is determined by the inner posture, not the external form.
Advaita lens
From Shankaracharya's perspective, sāttvic tyāga (V9) is the karma path's nearest approach to jñāna. When the actor performs niyata karma with pure kāryam ity eva motivation (no desire, no aversion) and releases both attachment and fruit, the action leaves no karma-impression. This is the karma equivalent of ātma-samarpaṇa (self-surrender): the doer acts without the doer-sense that creates bondage. The liberated-while-acting (jīvanmukta) naturally embodies V9's posture in every act.
Bhakti lens
For the devotee, kāryam ity eva translates directly to 'I do this because the Lord wants it done' — the bhakta's samarpaṇa (offering) of every niyata karma to Krishna. Saṅga-phala tyāga = the fruit is already surrendered to God; the attachment to the act is gone because the act itself belongs to the Lord. V9 is the bhakta's daily practice: 'This is Your duty that I am performing in Your name, with no fruit-claim.'
Karma-Yoga lens
V9 is the karma yogin's complete operational definition. Kāryam ity eva = act from duty-sense (svadharma, not desire). Saṅgam tyaktvā = no identity-investment in the act. Phalam ca eva = no fruit-expectation. These three together constitute the karma yoga posture as practiced in action. This verse can be taken as the karma yogin's daily reminder: 'Why am I doing this? Because it must be done. With what attitude? No attachment, no fruit-expectation.'
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
MISSING from index. [1]
When obligatory work is performed, O Arjuna, only because it ought to be done, leaving attachment and fruit, such relinquishment is regarded as Sattvika. [4]
When prescribed action is performed, O Arjuna! abandoning attachment and fruit also, merely because it ought to be performed, that is deemed a good abandonment. [9]
Regarding it as one that should be done, when work that is prescribed in the scriptures is done, O Arjuna, abandoning attachment and fruit also, that abandonment is deemed to be of the quality of goodness. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Some say all karma is faulty and should be abandoned; others say yajña-dāna-tapas must not be abandoned.
Sannyāsa = abandoning desire-motivated action; tyāga = abandoning fruits of ALL action — say the learned.
Sāttvic yajña: performed as ordained, without fruit-desire, with the conviction 'this must be done.'
Even yajña-dāna-tapas must be performed having abandoned attachment and fruits — my settled, highest opinion.
The yogi abandons fruit and attains lasting peace. The non-yogi, bound to fruit by desire, is fettered.
Uttering 'Tat,' without fruit-desire, mokṣa-seekers perform yajña, tapas, and various acts of dāna.