One who gives up action calling it painful, out of fear of bodily hardship — such a person performs rajasic renunciation and will not obtain the fruit of true renunciation.
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The Bhagavad Gita, translated and commentated by S. Radhakrishnan, is one of the most scholarly and accessible English renderings of Hinduism's most beloved scripture — the dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Radhakrishnan, philosopher and statesman, brings both rigorous intellectual insight and genuine spiritual depth to his translation and notes. This edition is treasured for its ability to illuminate the Gita's universal spiritual teaching across cultural and philosophical boundaries.
- Author
- Krishna
- Tradition
- Hindu
- Source text
- Bhagavad Gita
- Chapter
- Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18
- Verse / page
- BG.18.8
- Topics
- RenunciationActionFear
Same theme, different voices
The sages, united with pure reason, renounce the results of their actions and, liberated from the cycle of birth, they attain a state of bliss.
Renunciation means not desiring the results of our actions.
It will happen that God will guide the soul through a difficult path of dark contemplation and dryness, making it feel lost. The soul will be filled with darkness, trials, and temptations. It may encounter someone who, like Job's comforters, will say that it's suffering from sadness, low spirits, or a negative attitude, or that it may have a hidden sin, and that's why God has abandoned it.
Oh Hafiz, seeking an end to your struggles, remember what the wise have written: "If you finally attain your heart's desire, cast the world aside and abandon it."