Gita 05.11 – Change the motivation for action from gratification to purification
kāyena manasā buddhyā
kevalair indriyair api
yoginaḥ karma kurvanti
saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye (Bg 5.11)
Word-for-word:
kāyena — with the body; manasā — with the mind; buddhyā — with the intelligence; kevalaiḥ — purified; indriyaiḥ — with the senses; api — even; yoginaḥ — Kṛṣṇa conscious persons; karma — actions; kurvanti — they perform; saṅgam — attachment; tyaktvā — giving up; ātma — of the self; śuddhaye — for the purpose of purification.
Translation:
The yogīs, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa continues His explanation of how one can act without becoming bound by the results. He states:
kāyena manasā buddhyā: With the body, mind, intelligence,
kevalair indriyair api: and even with the senses,
yoginaḥ karma kurvanti: the yogīs perform actions
saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye: giving up attachment, for the sake of purification.
One of the principles of effective writing is to place the most important part of the sentence at its end, as this is what the reader is most likely to remember when moving on to the next sentence. Here, the central point of the verse is ‘ātma-śuddhaye’—for the sake of purification, for purifying oneself. This is the very purpose for which a karma-yogī acts.
Normally, in this world, we act to obtain results. A sportsperson plays to win the match, or if not for victory, at least to earn a paycheck. In the same way, people generally work for material outcomes. If it is said, “Do not be attached to the results” (saṅgaṁ tyaktvā), the natural question arises: then what should one work for? The answer is ātma-śuddhaye—for the sake of purification.
The key message of this verse comes at the end—ātma-śuddhaye. We will return to this point shortly. First, let us go through the verse from the beginning once again.
The first two lines, kāyena manasā buddhyā kevalair indriyair api, mean “with the body, mind, intelligence, and even with the senses.” Kṛṣṇa has referred to these four elements earlier in 3.42, where He also mentions a related sequence of five components:
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur
indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir
yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
The senses (indriyāṇi) are associated with dull matter. The body, also made of dull matter, can be correlated with kāya in the present verse. Here too, the indriya (senses), mana (mind), and buddhi (intelligence) are mentioned. The phrase “yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ,” meaning “the soul is beyond the intelligence,” finds a parallel here in the term ātma-śuddhaye—for the purification of the self.
In Bhagavad-gītā 3.40, Kṛṣṇa states:
indriyāṇi mano buddhir
asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate
etair vimohayaty eṣa
jñānam āvṛtya dehinam
Lust is situated in the senses, mind, and intelligence. This lust must be removed; hence, we need to purify ourselves. Lust tends to take over these very faculties and engage them for its own detrimental purposes.
For example, lust may be situated in the eyes, but it does not always control them. When we become agitated or let our guard down, lust seizes control, directing the eyes toward sensual pleasures—seeking obscene images or sights that, though outwardly attractive, fill the mind with impure desires. Lust resides there, but it is not perpetually in control of the senses. It gains control only when we become careless.
Lust can engage the senses, mind, and even intelligence, but if we remain vigilant and spiritually purposeful, we can instead direct these same faculties—where lust once operated—toward a higher goal—purification. When we engage them for the sake of purification, lust and other anarthas (unwanted impurities) gradually weaken and eventually disappear.
The soul is eternally pure, always existing in its natural state of sat–cit–ānanda. The impurity does not lie in the soul itself but in the body–mind mechanism with which the soul is coupled.
When the verse speaks of purifying oneself—ātma-śuddhaye—the word ātma here can be understood not only in the strict ontological sense, referring specifically to the soul, but also in a more general, referential sense. In the ontological sense, we are speaking of the soul as a distinct spiritual entity. In the referential sense, however, ātma can simply mean “self” as used in everyday language. For example, we might say, “The soul of India is democracy.”
Likewise, ‘ātma-śuddhaye’ does not literally mean purifying the soul, because the soul is eternally pure. At present, however, the soul functions as a composite unit—a pure spiritual entity associated with an impure mind and body. Thus, purifying the soul in this context really means purifying the mind and the body.
Such purification cannot take place merely by wishing for it to happen. It is not that we can simply sit passively and expect the impurities to disappear. Rather, when we act in the spirit of yoga—working with the intention of spiritual connection—that very action gradually purifies us. Through purposeful engagement, we are elevated and move toward liberation. Yoga connects us with a higher reality, and when our work is performed as part of that connection, it itself becomes the instrument of our purification.
When we speak of connecting with Kṛṣṇa, it is not like a mobile phone that must remain fixed in one place while charging through a socket. In yogic connection, we are not required to become physically motionless. In fact, movement and purposeful action are often the best mediums for deepening our connection.
While temporary stillness can be valuable for contemplation, our intrinsic nature is to be active. The degree and form of that activity may vary—some may engage extensively through physical movement, while others may act predominantly through speech, expressing themselves and influencing others without moving much at all.
Hence, activity is natural for us. When such activity is directed toward a spiritual purpose, it becomes a means of elevation. At the highest level, in the practice of bhakti-yoga, we act for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. However, in the stage being discussed here in the Bhagavad Gītā, the focus is primarily on karma-yoga.
The karma-yogi acts for the sake of purification, understanding that whatever work is undertaken, attachment to the results must be given up (saṅgaṁ tyaktvā). This is because the ultimate aim of yoga is to connect our consciousness with a higher spiritual reality—at the preliminary stage, to realize the self (ātma-tattva), and ultimately, to realize and relish Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Reality (bhagavad-tattva).
If we remain attached to the fruits of our actions, our consciousness stays confined to the material level. Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa repeatedly instructs us to work without attachment, it does not mean that we should act without any reason, purpose, or motive. Rather, the intention is that the purpose of our work should be to expand our consciousness—to deepen our awareness of our spiritual nature.
Such awareness becomes much easier to cultivate when our consciousness is not bound to matter through the constant hope that the next material achievement or result will finally make us happy.
Here, the yogi’s motivation for work is purification. Whether the external result manifests or not is of little consequence; what matters is the inner result. If the yogi acts with a mood of detachment, the inner purification is guaranteed.
The highest purification occurs when the yogi ascends to the level of bhakti-yoga, connecting with the supreme, all-pure reality—Kṛṣṇa—and engaging in loving service to Him. This culmination of spiritual practice will be elaborated upon in later sections of the Gītā, especially from the seventh chapter onwards, where we will explore it in detail.
Thank you.
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