Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 30

Chapter 3 – Karma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा ।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ॥

Transliteration

mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi saṃnyasyādhyātmacetasā .
nirāśīrnirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ ॥

Meaning

Surrendering all actions to Me, with the mind fixed on the Self, free from expectation and the sense of ‘mine’, and relieved of your fever, fight.

Word meanings

मयि – in Me
सर्वाणि – all
कर्माणि – actions
संन्यस्य – renouncing, surrendering
अध्यात्मचेतसा – with the mind fixed on the Self
निराशीः – free from expectation
निर्ममः – free from the sense of mine
भूत्वा – having become
युध्यस्व – fight
विगतज्वरः – free from fever, anguish

Anvaya (word order)

अध्यात्मचेतसा सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य, निराशीः निर्ममः भूत्वा, विगतज्वरः (सन्) युध्यस्व ।

Explanation

This is the moment where the whole teaching of the chapter is condensed into a battlefield instruction. "Offering all actions to Me, with a mind set on the Self, free from hope and from the sense of mine, and with the fever of anxiety gone, fight." The Lord uses the word yudhyasva, "fight", because Arjuna's duty at that moment is truly to fight, but the formula applies to any work in life.

Each phrase of the verse is a step of inner training. First, mayi sarvani karmani sannyasya: to place every action in the Lord's hands, as an offering. Second, adhyatma-cetasa: with a mind turned toward the Self, remembering one's deeper nature even while engaged in the world. Third, nirasih: without craving for outcomes. Fourth, nirmamah: without the feeling of ownership, "this is my result, my credit, my property". Fifth, vigata-jvarah: with the fever of worry, grief and mental heat gone.

Shankara explains the offering as the surrender of action to the Lord, acting as His servant to a master, with the knowledge that the Self is not the doer; he regards this as a means of purification that leads toward liberation. Ramanuja stresses that the Lord is the real controller and enjoyer of all action, and the soul acts as His servant, which is why every deed can be a worship. Madhva stresses surrender to Vishnu as the independent Lord, with the soul as dependent on Him.

Think what this means in practice. A surgeon may offer each operation to the Lord, concentrate on the task, expect no applause, and refuse to be crushed by an unlucky outcome. A mother who does the household work as service feels less resentment. A student who studies without a nervous fear of failure learns better. The act remains energetic; the pressure is lifted from it.

The final phrase, "vigata-jvarah", is a medical metaphor: the fever leaves. It suggests that the usual anxiety of life is a disease and that surrender is its medicine. The verse is the doorway to 3.31 and 3.32, which promise liberation to those who follow this teaching with faith. It is echoed in 9.27, "whatever you do, offer to Me", and in 18.57, which asks for a mind fixed on Him, and 12.6 to 12.7 which describe the devotees who place all actions in Him.

Context

After explaining the ego of doership and the knower's outlook in 3.27–3.29, the Lord now gives the practical conclusion: dedicate action to God. In 3.31–3.32 He will state the fruit of following and of ignoring this teaching.

Life lesson

Do each task as an offering to God: give it your whole mind and leave the result to Him. Worry lessens and the mind stays peaceful, however hard the circumstances.

Key terms

Sannyasa (here): surrender of actions
Adhyatma-chetas: mind established in the Self
Nirasih: free from expectation of results
Nirmama: free from possessiveness
Vigata-jvara: free from fever, anguish and worry