Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 10

Chapter 5 – Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥

Transliteration

brahmaṇyādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ .
lipyate na sa pāpena padmapatramivāmbhasā ॥

Meaning

One who performs actions, dedicating them to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin, just as a lotus leaf is not wetted by water.

Word meanings

ब्रह्मणि – in Brahman, in God
आधाय – dedicating, placing
कर्माणि – actions
सङ्गम् – attachment
त्यक्त्वा – having abandoned
करोति – performs
यः – who
लिप्यते – is tainted
न सः – he is not
पापेन – by sin
पद्मपत्रम् – a lotus leaf
इव – like
अम्भसा – by water

Anvaya (word order)

यः सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा ब्रह्मणि कर्माणि आधाय करोति, सः पद्मपत्रम् अम्भसा इव पापेन न लिप्यते ।

Explanation

After establishing that action done without attachment is the way, the Lord now gives one of the most memorable images in the entire Gita. "One who does actions, offering them to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not touched by sin, just as a lotus leaf is not touched by water." The picture is simple and gentle: the leaf rests on the surface of the pond, rain falls on it, the water gathers into beads and rolls off, and the leaf remains dry.

Three phrases carry the teaching. Brahmany adhaya karmani: placing actions in Brahman, offering them to the Supreme. Sangam tyaktva: abandoning attachment, the clinging that says "this is mine, this result is mine." Karoti yah: he still acts. The lotus leaf is not removed from the water, it floats right on it; what makes it unstained is its own nature. Similarly the wise do not withdraw from the world's activity; they live fully in it and remain unwet.

Shankara explains Brahman here as the Supreme Lord, and the offering as acting for His sake, regarding oneself as an instrument; such a person is not stained by sin, either from action done or from its result, just as the lotus leaf stays dry. Ramanuja explains that one who places all actions on the Lord, knowing that He is their real agent and enjoyer, is untouched by karma's bondage. Madhva understands it as dedication of all action to Vishnu, who is the true controller.

In ordinary life this has a very practical meaning. A person who works in a hospital, a courtroom or a market is surrounded by stress, temptation and difficulty. If he works with the sense "I am doing this as my service, and the results belong to a larger whole," the stress does not stick to him. By contrast, the one who works for personal gain and glory takes home every disappointment and every slight. The environment is the same; the attitude makes the difference.

A common mistake is to think that "not touched by sin" is a licence to act carelessly. The verse says no such thing. The condition is that the offering is sincere and the attachment is truly dropped, which means that actions will naturally be honest and caring. Related verses are 2.38 on equal acceptance of outcomes, 3.30 on offering all action, 9.27 on offering whatever one does, and 18.17 which says that one without the sense of "I am the doer" is not bound even by fighting.

Context

Verses 5.7–5.9 described the Karma Yogi's vision. Verse 5.10 gives the conclusion in the lotus-leaf simile. In 5.11 the purpose of the yogis' action — self-purification — will be stated.

Life lesson

One can remain fully active in the world and still stay clean. Do every work as an offering to God and let go of clinging to outcomes; then the drops of worry and fault will not stay on you.

Key terms

Brahmany-adhana: dedicating actions to God
Sanga: attachment
Padmapatra: lotus leaf — symbol of non-attachment