Gita 05.10 – Live in the world but be not of the world

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-05-10-live-in-the-world-but-be-not-of-the-world/

brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
lipyate na sa pāpena
padma-patram ivāmbhasā (Bg 5.10)

Word-for-word:
brahmaṇi — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ādhāya — resigning; karmāṇi — all works; saṅgam — attachment; tyaktvā — giving up; karoti — performs; yaḥ — who; lipyate — is affected; na — never; saḥ — he; pāpena — by sin; padma-patram — a lotus leaf; iva — like; ambhasā — by the water.

Translation:
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.

Explanation:
brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi: Dedicating all actions to Brahman,
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ: one who performs those actions having given up attachment,
lipyate na sa pāpena: such a person is not touched by sin,
padma-patram ivāmbhasā: just as a lotus leaf is in water yet untouched by it; it may come in contact with the water, but it is not affected—the water simply rolls off.

Kṛṣṇa explains to Arjuna how one can work without becoming entangled, and to illustrate this, He draws an example from nature—padma-patram ivāmbhasā.

Normally, when we put something in water—say a sheet of paper—the paper gets almost completely spoiled, becoming soft, soggy, and unusable. If we put cloth in water, the cloth does not get spoiled, and in fact, it may even get cleaned, but still, the water penetrates into it and clings to it. Even after squeezing it, the cloth must be dried before all the water goes away.

Most objects in this world, when exposed to water, retain some of it—the water sticks to them in some way. But a lotus leaf is different—water simply slips off it without soaking in. This unique quality of the lotus leaf is what Kṛṣṇa uses as a metaphor for living in the world without becoming spiritually affected by it.

In fact, a scientist, after studying the structure of lotus flowers, tried to replicate that property artificially by creating lotus facades—building exteriors designed with a surface structure similar to a lotus leaf. This design ensures that when the building is washed or rained on, the water simply slips away without sticking, preventing corrosion of paint and surface damage.

The key point is that the lotus flower’s ability to resist water adhesion is well known and even imitated in technology. Interestingly, water can rest on a lotus leaf, but it does not affect the leaf at all—demonstrating a perfect example of contact without contamination.

Jesus also said, “Be in this world but not of this world.” In essence, this is the same principle as “be in the water but not of the water,” which is what the lotus symbolizes. The lotus lives in water yet remains untouched by it; similarly, we can live in the world without being tainted by it.

Kṛṣṇa explains that this is possible by offering one’s work to brahman—brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi. The term ‘Brahman’ itself has multiple meanings. It can refer to the impersonal, all-pervading spiritual reality; it can refer to the personal brahman—Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is declared Parambrahma in Bhagavad-gita 10.12; or it can even refer to material nature. In the Bhagavad-gita, Brahman is used in this latter sense in verses 14.3 (mama yonir mahad brahma) and 14.4 (tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā), where it is described as the mahad yoni, the great womb of creation, into which Kṛṣṇa impregnates the souls.

In the context of the present verse, the most fitting meaning of Brahman would be material nature. This is because the preceding two verses discuss ‘indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan’—the understanding that the senses and sense objects are interacting on their own, and that “I” am not the true doer.

This same mood of non-doership is echoed again a few verses later in 5.13, where Kṛṣṇa explains that when a person renounces all works of the mind, such a person dwells happily in the “city of nine gates” (the material body), neither performing actions nor causing them to be performed. The emphasis in both places is on detachment from bodily identification and the recognition that material actions proceed according to the mechanisms of nature.

The overall context here emphasizes the importance of not identifying with the actions performed by the body.

Offering the work to material nature means attributing those actions to the mechanisms of nature itself, recognizing that they are carried out by the body and senses—not by the true self. When we no longer see ourselves as the doer, we avoid becoming entangled in the karmic consequences of work. In this way, one can remain free from sin, just as the lotus leaf remains untouched by water.

Here, the word ‘pāpa’ is used in an inclusive sense, referring to all material reactions. If a person is free from the sense of doership, they transcend not only sinful reactions (pāpa) but also pious reactions (puṇya). Thus, in this context, pāpa is understood as encompassing both pāpa and puṇya.

At the highest philosophical level, anything that distances us from Kṛṣṇa can be regarded as pāpa. Even puṇya, if it diverts our attention from Him—as was the case with the yājñika brāhmaṇas—can, in that sense, be considered a form of pāpa.

The phrase ‘brahmaṇy ādhāya’ can also be understood as referring to Kṛṣṇa Himself. This interpretation aligns with how Kṛṣṇa later speaks in the Bhagavad-gītā. For example, in 18.57 He says:
cetasā sarva-karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ
buddhi-yogam upāśritya mac-cittaḥ satataṁ bhava
(With your consciousness, offer all your work to Me.)

Hence, ‘brahmaṇy ādhāya’ means to offer the work to Brahman. While in the immediate context of this verse, Brahman can be understood as material nature, the progressive revelation within the Bhagavad-gītā—especially toward its conclusion—clarifies that the ultimate identity of Brahman is Kṛṣṇa Himself. At the highest stage of spiritual life, therefore, we offer all our work directly to Kṛṣṇa.

From this conclusive standpoint of the Gītā, understanding Brahman as Kṛṣṇa is more precise, for He is the ultimate object of our worship and the recipient of our endeavors. When we thus dedicate our actions to Kṛṣṇa, we are freed from all reactions. As He assures in 18.66—ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ—“I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.”

Either way, by renouncing the desire for the fruits of work and cultivating a mood of sacrifice—an attitude of offering to a reality higher than ourselves—we free our actions from selfish entanglement. The highest such reality is Kṛṣṇa, and by dedicating our work to Him, we not only remain untouched by material reactions but also steadily advance toward liberation and the fulfillment of life’s ultimate purpose.

Thank you.