Bhagavad Gita 18.26
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 26 of 78
मुक्तसङ्गो ऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर् निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥
mukta-saṅgo 'nahaṃvādī dhṛty-utsāha-samanvitaḥ | siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika ucyate ||
Sāttvic kartā: attachment-free, non-egotistic, firm, enthusiastic, unmoved by success or failure.
Word by word (3)
- mukta-saṅgo 'nahaṃvādī dhṛty-utsāha-samanvitaḥ
- — freed from attachment (mukta-saṅga = attachment-freed), not declaring I (anahaṃvādī = a + aham + vādī = non-I-proclaimer, non-egotistic), endued with/accompanied by (samanvitaḥ) firmness/fortitude (dhṛti) and enthusiasm/energy (utsāha) — four positive qualities of the sāttvic kartā
- siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika ucyate
- — unaffected/unchanged (nirvikāraḥ = without modification) in success (siddhi) and failure/non-success (a-siddhi), the agent/actor (kartā) is said/called (ucyate) sāttvic (sāttvika) — the defining quality: equanimity in success-failure
- anahaṃvādī
- — non-I-proclaimer; one who does not assert 'I did this' or identify as the special doer; the sāttvic actor acts without ahaṃkāra (I-making); contrast with V24's sāhaṃkāreṇa (rājasic actor)
An agent who is free from attachment, non-egotistic, endued with firmness and enthusiasm, unaffected in success or failure — is called sāttvic.
A modern analogy
The sāttvic kartā is like a skilled surgeon — fully engaged, energetic (utsāha), steady (dhṛti), not personally attached to the procedure's outcome, not claiming credit if it goes well, not collapsing if it goes badly. The work is done at the peak of ability and focus, without the distortion of personal ego or result-anxiety.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Free from attachment, not given to egoism, endued with firmness and vigour, unaffected in success and failure, an agent is said to be Sattvic. [1]
An agent who is free from attachment, non-egotistic, endued with fortitude and enthusiasm, and unaffected in success or failure, is called Sattvika. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Free from attachment, who never speaks of himself, who is endued with constancy and energy, and is unmoved by success and defeat, is said to be of the quality of goodness. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Rajas — passion, thirst, attachment — binds the embodied one specifically through attachment to action.
Free from pride, moha, attachment and desire, the dvandva-unbound, undeluded ones reach the imperishable goal.
Arjuna asks: what is sannyāsa vs. tyāga? Tell me distinctly, O Mighty-armed, Hṛṣīkeśa, Keśi-slayer.
Rājasic karma: done desiring pleasures or with ego-pride, involving great effort.
Rājasic kartā: passionate, fruit-desiring, greedy, cruel-natured, impure, subject to elation and sorrow.
Verse 26 of 78 · back to Chapter 18