मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि सन्न्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा । निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ॥
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā | nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ ||
Surrender all action to Me, mind on the Self, free from hope and possessiveness — then fight, free from fever.
Word by word (3)
- mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasya
- — having surrendered all actions unto Me · Mayi = in Me, unto Me (locative/dative of aham). Sarvāṇi = all. Karmāṇi = actions. Sannyasya = having renounced/surrendered (from sam+nyasa = complete laying down). This is the bhakti form of karma-yoga: surrender all action to Krishna. The action is done but the doership is placed at Krishna's feet.
- adhyātma-cetasā nirāśīḥ nirmamaḥ
- — with consciousness fixed on the Self, free from hope and possessiveness · Adhyātma = pertaining to the Self, spiritual. Cetasā = with consciousness/mind. Nirāśīḥ = without hope/desire (nir + āśā). Nirmamaḥ = without 'mine'-ness (nir + mama). The triple release: consciousness in the Self, no hoping for outcomes, no possessiveness about results.
- yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ
- — fight free from fever/grief · Yudhyasva = fight! (imperative, to Arjuna specifically). Vigata = gone away, departed. Jvara = fever, grief (both literal fever and the mental distress/torment). The direct instruction to Arjuna: engage in the battle, free from the mental fever of grief that has paralyzed him.
Surrendering all actions to Me, with your consciousness fixed on the Self, free from hope and free from possessiveness — fight, freed from the mental fever.
A modern analogy
The musician who plays a concert completely surrendered to the music — not for reviews, not to prove themselves, not afraid of failure. Just the music, offered fully. Vigata-jvara — the fever of self-consciousness gone. V30 is the instruction: offer, release, act without fever.
Take with you
- Adhyātma-cetasā — keep consciousness anchored in the Self, not in the ego's concerns, during action.
- Nirāśīḥ (without hope) does not mean hopeless — it means not acting FROM hope of specific results.
- Nirmamaḥ (no 'mine') — release proprietary relationship to outcomes and actions.
- Vigata-jvaraḥ — freedom from the fever of anxiety about results is the sign that karma-yoga is working.
V30 brings together the two streams of karma-yoga developed in Ch.3: the philosophical (gunas perform actions, ego is not the doer) and the devotional (surrender all actions to Me, the Lord). The verse addresses Arjuna directly — yudhyasva (fight!) — and gives the complete formula: adhyātma-cetasā (Self-awareness) + nirāśīḥ (no hoping) + nirmamaḥ (no possessiveness) + mayi sannyasya (surrendered to Me). This is the bhakti integration with karma-yoga: when action is surrendered to the Divine, the ego's claim of doership (V27) is voluntarily dissolved.
Karma-Yoga lens
V30 is the practical synthesis of Chapter 3's karma-yoga teaching. Having established: why action is necessary (V9-16, the yajna-wheel), why the sage still acts (V17-24, lokasaṃgraha), how to act (V25-29, without attachment, for world-welfare), now the formula: surrender the doership, keep the Self-consciousness, release hope and possessiveness. Then act fully — vigata-jvaraḥ, free from the fever of ego-concern.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
Renouncing all actions in Me, with mind fixed on the Self, being free from hope and selfishness, fight — freed from the mental fever. [1]
Renouncing all actions in Me, with mind intent on the Self, being free from hope and egoism, fight — freed from the mental fever. [4]
Therefore, surrendering all your actions unto Me, with your mind fixed on the Self, being free from hope, egoism, and grief, go into battle. [6]
Therefore, laying all thy deeds on Me, Thy mind fixed on the Self, free from desire, Free from all sense of 'mine,' fight! nor grieve! [7]
Dedicating all actions to Me, with your mind on the Self, being free from expectation and without egoism, fight — freed from your mental fever. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Your right is to act — never to the fruits. Don't act for results. Don't hide in inaction.
Whatever you do, eat, offer, give, or practise as austerity — do it all as mad-arpaṇam, an offering to Me.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Destroyed is my delusion, memory restored by Your grace — I stand firm, free of doubt, and will do Your word.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!