Bhagavad Gita 18.23: meaning and translation
Chapter 18: Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Krishna says
Krishna says that an action which is prescribed, done without attachment, without liking or dislike, by one who does not seek its fruit, is called action of the nature of sattva.
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Bhagavad Gita 18.23
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
Niyatam sangarahitamaragadveshatah kritamAphalaprepsuna karma yattatsattvikamuchyate
niyataṃ saṅgarahitamarāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam |aphalaprepsunā karma yattatsāttvikamucyate ||
Our explanation Krishna says that an action which is prescribed, done without attachment, without liking or dislike, by one who does not seek its fruit, is called action of the nature of sattva.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जो कर्म नियत है, आसक्ति के बिना, राग-द्वेष के बिना, फल न चाहने वाले व्यक्ति द्वारा किया जाता है, वह सात्त्विक कहलाता है।
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- नियतम् niyatam · prescribed (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: ni-yata, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 552, col. 1 “fixed, established, settled, sure, regular, invariable”
- सङ्गरहितम् saṅgarahitam · free from attachment (compound (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: saṅga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1132, col. 3 “(esp.) worldly or selfish attachment or affection, desire, wish, cupidity”; rahita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 871, col. 2 “free from, deprived or void or destitute of (instr. or comp.)”
- अरागद्वेषतः arāgadveṣataḥ · without liking or hatred (indeclinable) Dictionary: 3. a, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1, col. 1 “having a negative or privative or contrary sense”; rāga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 872, col. 1 “any feeling or passion, (esp.) love, affection or sympathy for”; dveṣa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 507, col. 1 “hatred, dislike, repugnance, enmity”
- कृतम् kṛtam · done (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: 1. kṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 3 “done, made, accomplished, performed”
- अफलप्रेप्सुना aphalaprepsunā · by one who does not seek the fruit (compound (masculine), instrumental singular) Dictionary: 3. a, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1, col. 1 “having a negative or privative or contrary sense”; phala, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 716, col. 2 “fruit (met.), consequence, effect, result, retribution (good or bad)”; prepsu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 712, col. 3 “wishing to attain, desirous of obtaining, seeking, longing for, aiming at”
- कर्म karma · action (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
- यत् yat · which (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- तत् tat · that (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
- सात्त्विकम् sāttvikam · of sattva (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: sāttvika, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1200, col. 1 “relating to or endowed with the quality Sattva (i.e. ‘purity’ or ‘goodness’)”
- उच्यते ucyate · is called (present passive, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: vac, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 912, col. 1 “to be called or accounted, be regarded as, pass for”
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 124.
That action is called good, which is prescribed, which is devoid of attachment, which is not done from (motives of) affection or aversion, (and which is done) by one not wishing for the fruit.
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 124.
That action is called good, which is prescribed, which is devoid of attachment, which is not done from (motives of) affection or aversion, (and which is done) by one not wishing for the fruit.
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 156.
An action which is ordained, devoid of attachment, done without affection or hatred, without desire of obtaining fruit, that is called sâttvic.
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 329.
An ordained action, done without love or hatred, by one not desirous of the fruit, and free from attachment, is declared to be Sátvic.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 124. Bhagavad Gita 18.23.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 156. Bhagavad Gita 18.23.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 329. Bhagavad Gita 18.23.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 18.23: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 25, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/23/
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Bhagavad Gita 18.23
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
“That action is called good, which is prescribed, which is devoid of attachment, which is not done from (motives of) affection or aversion, (and which is done) by one not wishing for the fruit.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 124, public domain)
“An action which is ordained, devoid of attachment, done without affection or hatred, without desire of obtaining fruit, that is called sâttvic.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 156, public domain)
“An ordained action, done without love or hatred, by one not desirous of the fruit, and free from attachment, is declared to be Sátvic.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 329, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/23/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 18.23?
Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 18 (Moksha Sannyasa Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.
- Updated
- October 25, 2026