Sanskrit
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् । अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥ २३ ॥
niyataṃ saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam aphalaprepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikam ucyate
Translation
An action which is ordained, done by one undesirous of fruit, devoid of attachment, without love or hate, that is called pure.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Turning to action itself: sattvic action is duty performed as ordained, free of desire for its fruit, and free of attachment or aversion toward it either way. This is a near-verbatim restatement of what verse 9 called sattvic tyaga — confirming that “the right action” and “the right way of relinquishing” describe the same behavior from two different angles. Sāttvic action: prescribed, done arāga-dveṣataḥ, with the like/dislike reflex removed at the source (BG 2.64), by one who does not want the fruit.
Study deeper
Word by word
- niyataṃ saṅgarahitamनियतं सङ्गरहितं
- prescribed, free of attachment (niyatam + saṅga-rahitam)
- arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtamअरागद्वेषतः कृतं
- done without attraction or aversion (a-rāga-dveṣataḥ + kṛtam)
- aphalaprepsunā karma yatअफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्
- by one not seeking the fruit — the action (a-phala-prepsunā + karma + yat)
- tat sāttvikam ucyateतत् सात्त्विकं उच्यते
- that is called sāttvic (tat + sāttvikam + ucyate)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Verse 9 asked only for attachment and fruit to be relinquished; this verse quietly completes the pair by explicitly naming the other side too — action done “without love or hate” (arāga-dveṣataḥ). Non-attachment was never only about resisting the pull toward what you want; verse 23 makes clear it equally means resisting the push away from what you don’t want, a symmetry easy to miss if you’d only read verse 9’s version of the same standard.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Notice that avoiding a task you dislike runs on the same mechanism as chasing one you want — both are the mind pulling you off center, just in opposite directions. Real non-attachment means resisting the push away from what you don't like just as much as the pull toward what you do.
Professional
- Steering away from a client or task you find unpleasant is the same kind of attachment, just inverted, as over-investing in your favorite project. Applying detachment only to your desires while indulging your aversions isn't detachment — it's the same imbalance from the other side.
Family & Social
- Avoiding an unpleasant family obligation out of dislike runs on the same mechanism as over-favoring an enjoyable one — both are letting a pull, not the actual need, decide your effort. Real evenness means treating both symmetrically, not just resisting your favorites.
Ask yourself
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