Bhagavad Gita 18.3: meaning and translation
Chapter 18: Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Krishna says
Krishna reports two opinions of the learned.
Click or tap a word for its meaning and its dictionary page.
Text and layers
Text and layers
These choices stay in this browser.
Bhagavad Gita 18.3
त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः ।यज्ञदानतपः कर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ॥
Tyajyam doshavadityeke karma prahurmanishinahYajnadanatapah karma na tyajyamiti chapare
tyājyaṃ doṣavadityeke karma prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ |yajñadānatapaḥ karma na tyājyamiti cāpare ||
Our explanation Krishna reports two opinions of the learned. Some say that all action should be given up, as it is faulty. Others say that sacrifice (yajña), giving (dāna) and austerity (tapas) should not be given up.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण विद्वानों के दो मत बताते हैं। कुछ कहते हैं कि कर्म दोष-युक्त है, इसलिए सब कर्म छोड़ देना चाहिए। दूसरे कहते हैं कि यज्ञ, दान और तप नहीं छोड़ने चाहिए।
Word by word
Every word, with its dictionary page
Word by word
- त्याज्यम् tyājyam · to be given up (gerundive (to be done) (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tyājya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 457, col. 1 “to be given up”
- दोषवत् doṣavat · as faulty, as an evil (indeclinable) Dictionary: doṣa-vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 498, col. 3 “having f°, faulty, defective, blemished”
- इति iti · thus (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. iti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 1 “in this manner, thus”
- एके eke · some (pronoun (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: eka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 227, col. 3 “one”
- कर्म karma · action (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
- प्राहुः prāhuḥ · say (perfect form, present sense, 3rd person plural) Dictionary: 1. ah, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 124, col. 1 “to say, speak”
- मनीषिणः manīṣiṇaḥ · the wise (noun (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: manīṣin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 784, col. 2 “thoughtful, intelligent, wise, sage, prudent”
- यज्ञदानतपःकर्म yajñadānatapaḥkarma · the work of sacrifice, giving and austerity (compound (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”; 1. dāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 474, col. 1 “the act of giving”; tapas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 437, col. 1 “religious austerity, bodily mortification, penance, severe meditation”; karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
- न na · not (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. na, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 523, col. 1 “not, no, nor, neither”
- त्याज्यम् tyājyam · to be given up (gerundive (to be done) (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tyājya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 457, col. 1 “to be given up”
- इति iti · thus (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. iti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 1 “in this manner, thus”
- च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
- अपरे apare · others (pronoun (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: 2. apara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 50, col. 3 “other, another”
1 printing differs
Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.
- Spelling A digital text reads Same letters. The e-text joins यज्ञदानतपःकर्म; the 1922 edition prints यज्ञदानतपः कर्म with a space.
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 121–122.
Some wise men say, that action should be abandoned as being full of evil; and others, that the actions of sacrifice, gift, and penance should not be abandoned.
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 121–122.
Some wise men say, that action should be abandoned as being full of evil; and others, that the actions of sacrifice, gift, and penance should not be abandoned.
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 152–153.
"Action should be abandoned as an evil,"1 declare some wise men; "the actions of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned," say others.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - Some read: "because it is evil." ↩
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 320.
Some philosophers declare that all action should be relinquished as an evil, whilst others (say) that the work of Yajna, gift and austerity, should not be relinquished.
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), pp. 121–122. Bhagavad Gita 18.3.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), pp. 152–153. Bhagavad Gita 18.3.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 320. Bhagavad Gita 18.3.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 18.3: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 25, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/3/
Pujadeep’s explanations are free to quote with credit: name Pujadeep and link to the page. How to credit
Classical readings, by school
No readings by school on this verse yet.
Share
Show the ways to share
Send one picture or the text to one chat. The picture names its source and the address of this page.
Drawing the picture
See the words
Bhagavad Gita 18.3
त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः ।
यज्ञदानतपः कर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ॥
“Some wise men say, that action should be abandoned as being full of evil; and others, that the actions of sacrifice, gift, and penance should not be abandoned.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), pp. 121–122, public domain)
“"Action should be abandoned as an evil," declare some wise men; "the actions of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned," say others.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), pp. 152–153, public domain)
“Some philosophers declare that all action should be relinquished as an evil, whilst others (say) that the work of Yajna, gift and austerity, should not be relinquished.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 320, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/3/ 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 18.3?
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