Bhagavad Gita 6.4
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 4 of 47
यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते। सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते॥६-४॥
yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasv anuṣajjate | sarva-saṃkalpa-sannyāsī yogārūḍhas tadocyate || 6.4 ||
When unattached to sense objects and to actions, and all saṃkalpas are renounced — then one is called yogārūḍha.
Word by word (5)
- yadā hi
- — when indeed / at the time when — marks the condition that defines the yogārūḍha
- na indriya-artheṣu
- — not attached to sense objects (indriya = senses, artha = object/purpose; indriyārtha = the objects that the senses pursue)
- na karmasu anuṣajjate
- — not clinging to actions / not hanging onto the process of action itself (anuṣajjate = clings to, from anu + sañj = to attach, to cling; note: not just the fruits but the action-process)
- sarva-saṃkalpa-sannyāsī
- — one who has renounced all saṃkalpas (sarva = all — total renunciation; saṃkalpa = ego-driven intention; sannyāsī = renunciant — this is the root of both the outer non-attachments)
- yogārūḍhaḥ tadā ucyate
- — then is called yogārūḍha / is said at that point to have ascended to yoga (tadā = then, at that time; ucyate = is called, is said — traditional recognition)
When a man clings neither to sense-objects nor to actions, and has let go of all self-will, then he is said to have risen to yoga.
A modern analogy
A master craftsman at work: fully engaged with the material, with full skill and attention — but not anxious about being seen to work well, not dependent on approval of the output, not clinging to the process as 'my creation.' The work happens through them. This is na karmasu anuṣajjate — no ego-cling to the action-process. And sarva-saṃkalpa-sannyāsī: no inner voice saying 'this must turn out a specific way for me to be okay.' That combination — full engagement, zero ego-grip — is the yogārūḍha.
What it does NOT mean
Na karmasu anuṣajjate does not mean stopping action. Anuṣajjate means clinging — the emotional, ego-driven hanging-on to the action itself as 'mine, my doing, my achievement.' The yogārūḍha still acts (Ch.6 never asks the yogi to stop acting) but the ego's cling to the action process has released. Similarly, not attached to sense objects means not deriving the ego's identity from what the senses provide — not that the senses are switched off.
Take with you
- Two non-attachments + one root: na indriyārtheṣu (no grip on sense-pleasure objects) + na karmasu anuṣajjate (no ego-cling to action itself) = both rooted in sarva-saṃkalpa-sannyāsī (all ego-driven intentions released). The outer conditions flow from the inner root: when saṃkalpa is genuinely released, non-attachment to objects and actions follows naturally.
- Anuṣajjate at the action level is more subtle than anuṣajjate at the fruit level. Many practitioners learn to release fruit-attachment; fewer notice the attachment to the action-process itself: needing to be seen doing spiritual practice, needing to feel like a good meditator, needing the action to confirm their identity as 'someone who works on themselves.' This verse names this second layer of attachment.
- Sarva (all) saṃkalpas — the word is total. Not 'most' saṃkalpas, not 'the major ones.' This verse sets a high bar: all ego-driven intentions released. This is not achieved once and then permanently held — it is a direction of practice, an orientation that deepens over time.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
"When one is not attached to sense objects nor to actions — when all saṃkalpas are renounced — then one is called yogārūḍha." [1]
"When a man is not attached to sense-objects or to actions, and has renounced all purposes — then is he said to have attained Yoga." [4]
"When no more he cleaveth to objects of sense, nor to works, and hath renounced all purposes — then is he said to have attained Yoga." [5]
"When a man is not attached to objects of sense or to action, and has renounced all purposes — then he is said to have attained Yoga." [6]
"When one, who is not attached to outward touches, findeth joy within himself — such a one, who hath joined his soul by prayer to Brahman, enjoys unmoved felicity." [7]
"When one is not attached to any objects of sense, nor to actions, having renounced all purposes, then he is said to have obtained Yoga." [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
What they call sannyāsa — know it as yoga, O Pāṇḍava — for none becomes a yogī without renouncing saṃkalpa.
For the aspiring muni, action is the means to yoga; for the one ascended to yoga, stillness (śama) is the means.
Lift the self by the Self; let not the self drown itself — you alone are your own friend and your own foe.
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
Not elated at pleasant, not disturbed at unpleasant — steady, undeluded, the brahma-vit rests in Brahman.
Yogis act with body, mind, intellect, and bare senses — abandoning attachment — solely for self-purification.
Verse 4 of 47 · back to Chapter 6