Verse 18.17 : Moksha Sanyasa Yoga "Liberation and Renunciation"
Verse 17 of 78
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The Translation
“He who is free from the egoistic notion 'I am the doer,' and whose intellect is not tainted—even if he slays these people, he does not slay, nor is he bound by his actions.”
Commentary & Insights
Krishna addresses Arjuna's specific battlefield dilemma. Arjuna is terrified of the sin of killing his relatives. Krishna explains that if Arjuna can act completely free from personal ego and attachment, his actions will be aligned with cosmic order, and he will incur no karmic bondage.
Practical Application
1
Focus on doing what is right in a difficult situation, completely letting go of concern for your personal image or comfort.
Reflections & Notes
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Self-Reflection Prompts
- How can a person perform a highly difficult or even violent duty (like a soldier in war or a surgeon in surgery) without personal malice or ego?
- What does it mean for the intellect to be 'untainted' (na lipyate) by the outcome of actions?
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18.17
यस्य नाहंकृतो भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य न लिप्यते
Shankara comments that this is the description of a Jivanmukta (liberated soul). A person who has realized: 'I am the actionless Brahman, the body and senses are acting,' has no ego (ahamkara). Even if such a person performs actions that appear destructive externally, they do not accumulate any karma, because their individual will has dissolved into the universal consciousness.