Gita 18.6
Moksha Sanyasa Yoga
एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च | कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ||६||
etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca | kartavyānīti me pārtha niścitaṁ matam uttamam ||6||
In essence: THIS IS MY FINAL WORD: These actions—sacrifice, charity, austerity—must be performed, but with complete abandonment of attachment and all expectation of results. This is My highest teaching.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This verse seems to say: do the action, but don't be attached. Isn't that contradictory?"
Guru: "Only if you identify action with attachment. We assume that to act fully, we must want the result intensely. Krishna separates these: intensity of engagement has nothing to do with attachment to outcome. A surgeon operates with total concentration but isn't attached to 'my success.' An artist creates with complete dedication but can release the creation. The contradiction is apparent, not real."
Sadhak: "What is the difference between sangam (attachment) and phalani (fruits)?"
Guru: "Phalani are the actual results—what happens after the action. Sangam is the emotional grip, the 'mine-ness' that claims both action and result as personal property. You can intellectually accept that results are uncertain while still being emotionally attached (sangam). Complete release requires abandoning both: not calculating fruits AND not claiming ownership. The inner grip relaxes entirely."
Sadhak: "'Uttamam matam'—is this Krishna's personal preference or absolute truth?"
Guru: "Both. Krishna speaks as the Divine (Ishvara), so his personal conclusion IS absolute truth for the tradition. But notice: he says 'my opinion' (matam), not 'the only opinion.' He respects other views but offers this as the highest (uttamam). For the sincere seeker, 'Krishna's highest teaching' is sufficient authority. The proof comes in practice—does this approach actually liberate?"
Sadhak: "How does this resolve the debate from verse 3?"
Guru: "Beautifully. Those who said 'abandon all action' were right that attachment is the problem but wrong in their solution (stop acting). Those who said 'keep yajna-dana-tapas' were right that these purify but wrong if they kept attachment. Krishna's synthesis: continue the purifying actions, but without the binding attachment. Both sides' valid insights are preserved; both sides' errors are corrected."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Before beginning work, set the double intention: 'I will engage fully AND release results completely.' These are not opposed but complementary. Full engagement comes naturally when anxiety about outcomes is released. Begin the day's first task with this integrated attitude.
Practice the two-fold release in real-time. When you notice attachment arising (sangam)—'this is MY project, MY success'—gently loosen. When you notice fruit-fixation—'what will happen? will it work?'—return to the action itself. These adjustments, made repeatedly, gradually transform the default mode.
Review through Krishna's lens: 'Did I perform necessary actions today? Did I hold them without attachment? Did I release concern for fruits?' Celebrate what was done rightly; note where attachment crept in. This review, done non-judgmentally, builds the capacity for Krishna's highest teaching.