Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5: Karma Sannyasa Yoga — Summary, Key Verses & Meaning

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 — Karma Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Renunciation)

Is it better to renounce action or to act? Krishna says both lead to freedom, but selfless action is easier — act like a lotus leaf untouched by water.

Chapter 5 · Karma Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Renunciation) · 29 verses

What happens in Chapter 5

Arjuna asks for a clear answer: renunciation or action? Krishna replies that both lead to the highest good, but the yoga of action is better for most people, because true renunciation is inner — giving up attachment, not giving up work. A person who neither hates nor craves is a true sannyasi even while working.

The wise person offers all actions to Brahman and is not stained by them, as a lotus leaf is not wet by water. Such a person sees the same divine presence in a learned scholar, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcast. The chapter closes with a short description of meditation that leads into Chapter 6.

Main themes

Inner renunciation versus outer renunciation
The lotus leaf image
Equal vision (sama-darshana)

Key verses

ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा॥

brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā

5.10 — One who acts offering all work to Brahman, giving up attachment, is not touched by sin — just as a lotus leaf is not wet by water.

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि।
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः॥

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

5.18 — The wise see with an equal eye a learned and humble scholar, a cow, an elephant, a dog and one who cooks dogs.

Equal vision does not mean treating everyone identically in daily life; it means recognising the same self in every being.

For daily life

You do not need to leave the world to be spiritual. Do your work well, without clinging, and treat every living being with respect.

Sanskrit text: traditional (Gita Press numbering). English translation and explanation: MyPujaWorld.

Frequently asked questions

How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5?

Chapter 5, Karma Sannyasa Yoga, has 29 verses in the standard (Gita Press) text.

What is Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita about?