Bhagavad Gita 18.3 — Conflicting Views: Should All Action Be Abandoned?
त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः ।
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ॥ १८.३ ॥
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Some thinkers declare that action should be abandoned as an evil, while others say that acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be abandoned.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| tyājyam | should be abandoned |
| doṣhavat | like a fault, as evil |
| iti | thus |
| eke | some |
| karma | action |
| prāhuḥ | declare |
| manīṣhiṇaḥ | thinkers, philosophers |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| yajñadānatapaḥkarma | acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity |
| na | not |
| tyājyam | to be abandoned |
| iti | thus |
| cha | and |
| apare | others |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| tyājyam | should be abandoned | yajñadānatapaḥkarma | acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity |
| doṣhavat | like a fault, as evil | na | not |
| iti | thus | tyājyam | to be abandoned |
| eke | some | iti | thus |
| karma | action | cha | and |
| prāhuḥ | declare | apare | others |
| manīṣhiṇaḥ | thinkers, philosophers | ||
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
In this verse, Lord Krishna presents two opposing opinions that were current among thinkers of that time. One group held that all action should be abandoned because it is tainted with fault, while another insisted that acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity must never be given up.
Essence
A debate among the learned
Before giving His own conclusion, Lord Krishna honestly places the existing views before Arjuna. This is a characteristic method of the Gita: first to lay out the confusion clearly, and then to resolve it.
The first view: action is a fault (doṣavat): Some thinkers argued that every action, being tied to desire and likely to cause some harm, carries an inevitable defect. Even a simple activity, they said, can involve violence of some kind, or can bind the doer. Therefore, they concluded, a seeker should abandon action altogether.
The second view: yajña, dāna and tapas must remain: Others countered that sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna) and austerity (tapas) are the very activities that keep life healthy and purposeful. To abandon them, they said, would be a loss rather than a gain.
What does this debate reveal?
Both positions contain a grain of truth. The first recognises that action can bind us when it is driven by ego and desire. The second recognises that certain actions uplift both the individual and society. Lord Krishna's task is to show how these insights fit together, rather than to pick one and dismiss the other.
Many of us live inside similar debates. One voice says, Withdraw, because the world only entangles you. Another says, Do your duty, because life needs your contribution. The Gita will show that the answer lies in the manner of acting rather than in the choice between acting and not acting.
Message for Everyday Life (Between Escape and Engagement)
Today the same two voices appear in modern language. One says, Leave the rat race. The other says, Keep hustling. Both can be extreme.
The wiser path: Do not abandon work because it is imperfect, and do not cling to it as though it were everything. Keep the useful and giving actions in your life, and refine the spirit in which you perform them.
A debate among the learned
Before giving His own conclusion, Lord Krishna honestly places the existing views before Arjuna. This is a characteristic method of the Gita: first to lay out the confusion clearly, and then to resolve it.
The first view: action is a fault (doṣavat): Some thinkers argued that every action, being tied to desire and likely to cause some harm, carries an inevitable defect. Even a simple activity, they said, can involve violence of some kind, or can bind the doer. Therefore, they concluded, a seeker should abandon action altogether.
The second view: yajña, dāna and tapas must remain: Others countered that sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna) and austerity (tapas) are the very activities that keep life healthy and purposeful. To abandon them, they said, would be a loss rather than a gain.
What does this debate reveal?
Both positions contain a grain of truth. The first recognises that action can bind us when it is driven by ego and desire. The second recognises that certain actions uplift both the individual and society. Lord Krishna's task is to show how these insights fit together, rather than to pick one and dismiss the other.
Many of us live inside similar debates. One voice says, Withdraw, because the world only entangles you. Another says, Do your duty, because life needs your contribution. The Gita will show that the answer lies in the manner of acting rather than in the choice between acting and not acting.
Message for Everyday Life (Between Escape and Engagement)
Today the same two voices appear in modern language. One says, Leave the rat race. The other says, Keep hustling. Both can be extreme.
The wiser path: Do not abandon work because it is imperfect, and do not cling to it as though it were everything. Keep the useful and giving actions in your life, and refine the spirit in which you perform them.
Next Topic
Having laid out these two opinions, Lord Krishna now invites Arjuna to listen to His own settled conclusion. In the next verse, He announces that He will speak about <em>tyāga</em> and declares that it is of three kinds.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
Every view holds a part of the truth, but not always the whole.
Walking away from all action is rarely the same as wisdom.
What we give shapes who we become.
Self-control is a quiet form of self-respect.
Hearing both sides is the beginning of sound judgment.
Between rejecting everything and accepting everything lies discernment.
Purifying acts keep the heart light and the mind clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the 'manīṣhiṇaḥ' (thinkers) who say that action should be abandoned?
Why do these thinkers call action 'doṣhavat' (like a fault, as evil)?
What are 'yajña' (sacrifice), 'dāna' (charity), and 'tapas' (austerity) in this verse?
Is this verse Krishna's own opinion?
What is the practical message of this verse in one sentence?
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