Bhagavad Gita 2.51

Sanskrit

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः । जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥2.51॥

Transliteration

karmajaṃ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ | janmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchantyanāmayam ‖2.51‖

Meaning

“The wise, endowed with this intelligence, abandoning the fruits of action, freed from the bondage of birth, reach the state beyond all sorrow.”

Key learning

Wise people let go of clinging to results, and that letting go sets them free from a restless, anxious life. Every result you cling to is like a string that lets circumstances yank your heart around. Cut those strings and what's left is real, steady peace. This isn't grim self-denial; it's the end of needless suffering.

How to apply this today

List your conditions for peace, the things you tell yourself you can't be happy until you get: the promotion, the apology, the milestone. Each one is a worry that keeps renewing, because once you get it, a new one takes its place. Pick one this season and cut it loose, not by dropping the goal, but by no longer letting it control your wellbeing: I'll pursue this, but I won't wait on it to live. Cut one string at a time.

Theme: The Yoga of Knowledge

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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