Bhagavad Gita 18.12 — The Threefold Fruit of Action Reaches Non-Renouncers, Never Renouncers
अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् ।
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ॥ १८.१२ ॥
🔊 Listen to meaning of this shloka
Current voice: —
Ready
Text-to-speech is not supported by this browser.
The threefold fruit of action — disagreeable, agreeable, and mixed — accrues after death to those who have not relinquished, but never to renouncers.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| aniṣhṭam | disagreeable, undesirable |
| iṣhṭam | agreeable, desirable |
| miśhram | mixed |
| cha | and |
| trividham | threefold |
| karmaṇaḥ | of action |
| phalam | fruit |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| bhavati | comes about, accrues |
| atyāginām | to those who have not relinquished |
| pretya | after death |
| na | not |
| tu | but |
| saṁnyāsinām | to the renouncers |
| kvachit | ever, at any time |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| aniṣhṭam | disagreeable, undesirable | bhavati | comes about, accrues |
| iṣhṭam | agreeable, desirable | atyāginām | to those who have not relinquished |
| miśhram | mixed | pretya | after death |
| cha | and | na | not |
| trividham | threefold | tu | but |
| karmaṇaḥ | of action | saṁnyāsinām | to the renouncers |
| phalam | fruit | kvachit | ever, at any time |
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
In this verse, Lord Krishna explains the consequences of action. The threefold fruit of action, undesirable, desirable, and mixed, comes to those who have not renounced, but never to those who have truly renounced.
Essence
The three kinds of fruit
Lord Krishna now shows why the renunciation of fruits is so important. Action produces results, and those results take three forms.
Aniṣṭa (undesirable): These are results that bring suffering, such as the painful consequences of wrong or careless actions.
Iṣṭa (desirable): These are pleasant results, such as comfort, success, and enjoyment.
Miśra (mixed): These are results in which pleasure and pain are combined. Most worldly experiences fall in this category.
Atyāgināṁ pretya bhavati (for those who have not renounced, this accrues after death): Those who remain attached to the fruits of their actions carry the consequences with them. The cycle of action and result, and of birth and death, continues for them.
Na tu sannyāsināṁ kvacit (but never for the renouncers): For those who have renounced the fruit and the sense of doership, the fruits do not bind. Their actions no longer create a lasting bond.
Why even good results bind
A notable point is that even iṣṭa, the desirable fruit, is part of the same threefold list. Pleasant results are also a kind of bondage, because they keep us attached to the cycle of seeking and enjoying. From the Gita's perspective, freedom is not simply the collection of good results and the avoidance of bad ones. It is being free from dependence on results altogether.
This also gives a deeper reason for the teaching of the previous verses. Renunciation of the fruit is not a mere psychological technique for feeling calm. It changes the very way action leaves its impressions on us.
Message for Everyday Life (Freedom From the Result-Cycle)
When our happiness depends on outcomes, we are always at the mercy of whatever life delivers. Success makes us proud and anxious, and failure makes us bitter. Even a mixed outcome keeps us unsettled.
The alternative: Take responsibility for your effort, accept the outcome gracefully, and do not let it define you. This is how a person remains steady while living a full and active life.
A reflection: Think of one outcome you are anxious about today. Ask what part of it is your effort and what part is not in your hands. Offer your best to the first and release the second.
The three kinds of fruit
Lord Krishna now shows why the renunciation of fruits is so important. Action produces results, and those results take three forms.
Aniṣṭa (undesirable): These are results that bring suffering, such as the painful consequences of wrong or careless actions.
Iṣṭa (desirable): These are pleasant results, such as comfort, success, and enjoyment.
Miśra (mixed): These are results in which pleasure and pain are combined. Most worldly experiences fall in this category.
Atyāgināṁ pretya bhavati (for those who have not renounced, this accrues after death): Those who remain attached to the fruits of their actions carry the consequences with them. The cycle of action and result, and of birth and death, continues for them.
Na tu sannyāsināṁ kvacit (but never for the renouncers): For those who have renounced the fruit and the sense of doership, the fruits do not bind. Their actions no longer create a lasting bond.
Why even good results bind
A notable point is that even iṣṭa, the desirable fruit, is part of the same threefold list. Pleasant results are also a kind of bondage, because they keep us attached to the cycle of seeking and enjoying. From the Gita's perspective, freedom is not simply the collection of good results and the avoidance of bad ones. It is being free from dependence on results altogether.
This also gives a deeper reason for the teaching of the previous verses. Renunciation of the fruit is not a mere psychological technique for feeling calm. It changes the very way action leaves its impressions on us.
Message for Everyday Life (Freedom From the Result-Cycle)
When our happiness depends on outcomes, we are always at the mercy of whatever life delivers. Success makes us proud and anxious, and failure makes us bitter. Even a mixed outcome keeps us unsettled.
The alternative: Take responsibility for your effort, accept the outcome gracefully, and do not let it define you. This is how a person remains steady while living a full and active life.
A reflection: Think of one outcome you are anxious about today. Ask what part of it is your effort and what part is not in your hands. Offer your best to the first and release the second.
Next Topic
Lord Krishna has shown that the renouncer is not bound by the threefold fruit of action. This naturally raises the question of how action actually takes place and what factors are involved in it, which Lord Krishna begins to explain in the next verses by revealing the five causes behind every action.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
Every choice carries a result; wisdom chooses with awareness.
Letting go of the fruit lightens what we carry.
We are not free of consequences, but we can be free of clinging.
There is a way to act in the world without being chained to it.
Pleasant, unpleasant, or mixed, results all bind the one who clings.
The mind that has let go of results is not troubled by their arrival.
Release is not escape; it is understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 'aniṣhṭam' (disagreeable), 'iṣhṭam' (agreeable), and 'miśhram' (mixed) fruits of action?
Who is an 'atyāgī' (one who has not relinquished)?
Why does the verse mention 'pretya' (after death)?
Does this verse say that a renouncer is free from all consequences?
What is the practical message of this verse in one sentence?
Explore related topics
More shlokas on the themes this verse touches: