Sanskrit
कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन । सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः ॥ ९ ॥
kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṃ kriyate'rjuna saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalaṃ caiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ
Translation
He who performeth a prescribed action, saying, "it ought to be done," O Arjuna, relinquishing attachment and also fruit, that relinquishment is regarded as pure.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The sattvic case, and the one Krishna actually endorses: performing prescribed duty simply because it ought to be done, while relinquishing attachment to it and to its fruit. This is tyaga functioning exactly as karma-yoga was defined back in chapter 3 — action retained, claim on outcome dropped — confirming that what Krishna calls “relinquishment” throughout is not about stopping work but about changing one’s relationship to it. Sāttvic relinquishment: the work done because it is one’s to do, with attachment and fruit released. Not doing less — doing the same, differently. This is the target the whole chapter circles.
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Word by word
- kāryam ity eva yat karmaकार्यं इत्य् एव यत् कर्म
- whatever prescribed action is done [thinking] 'it ought to be done' (kāryam + iti + eva + yat + karma)
- niyataṃ kriyate'rjunaनियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन
- is performed, O Arjuna (niyatam + kriyate + arjuna)
- saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalaṃ caivaसङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव
- abandoning attachment and the fruit (saṅgam + tyaktvā + phalam + ca + eva)
- sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥस त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः
- that relinquishment is held sāttvic (saḥ + tyāgaḥ + sāttvikaḥ + mataḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
“Because it ought to be done” is a justification that refuses to go further — Krishna doesn’t have the sattvic actor add a because after that, the way the rajasic actor adds “because it’s painful” and the tamasic actor acts from a delusion that could itself be unpacked further. Sattvic motivation, as this verse frames it, is the one that doesn’t need a further reason behind the reason; the other two only look justified until you ask why the pain or the confusion mattered enough to move them.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Site Commentary — Second Reading
The verse specifies “niyataṃ karma” — prescribed or obligatory action, not action in general — and that qualifier does real limiting work. This isn’t license to call any task you’ve decided is virtuous an “ought” and perform it with sattvic detachment; it praises relinquishing attachment specifically within duty already incumbent on you. Read past the qualifier and the verse would justify self-appointed crusades as easily as assigned responsibilities, which is exactly the reading the word “niyataṃ” forecloses.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- Notice whether your reason for doing something bottoms out cleanly — 'because it's needed' — or keeps requiring another reason underneath it. A justification that doesn't need a further justification behind it is usually the more trustworthy one to act from.
Professional
- When deciding whether to take on a task, check if your reason for doing it is self-sufficient — 'this genuinely needs doing' — versus stacked on fear of how it looks if you don't. Self-sufficient reasons tend to predict steadier follow-through than reasons built on avoiding a consequence.
Family & Social
- When you keep doing a recurring family responsibility, notice whether your reason for it is simple and complete or keeps needing more explanation underneath — a reason that doesn't need defending further is usually the healthier one to keep acting from.
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