Gita 05.12 – Action per se is not binding – attached action is

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yuktaḥ karma-phalaṁ tyaktvā
śāntim āpnoti naiṣṭhikīm
ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa
phale sakto nibadhyate (Bg 5.12)

Word-for-word:
yuktaḥ — one who is engaged in devotional service; karma-phalam — the results of all activities; tyaktvā — giving up; śāntim — perfect peace; āpnoti — achieves; naiṣṭhikīm — unflinching; ayuktaḥ — one who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; kāma-kāreṇa — for enjoying the result of work; phale — in the result; saktaḥ — attached; nibadhyate — becomes entangled.

Translation:
The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.

Explanation:
yuktaḥ karma-phalaṁ tyaktvā: The well-connected one, giving up the fruits of work,
śāntim āpnoti naiṣṭhikīm: attains peace that is naiṣṭhikī—very stable, strong, and undisturbed.
ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa: one who is not connected with the higher spiritual reality, one who is not harmonized, works compelled by material desires,
phale saktaḥ nibadhyate: and becomes attached to the fruit and gets bound.

This verse is, at one level, a summary of the section. However, Kṛṣṇa is summarizing two different points here compared to the similar summary offered in 5.6.

Arjuna begins the discussion of the Bhagavad-gītā with two courses of action in mind—one is action, which he thinks will lead to bondage, and the other is inaction or renunciation of action, which he thinks will lead to liberation.

Kṛṣṇa explains in 5.6: sannyāsas tu mahā-bāho duḥkham āptum ayogataḥ yoga-yukto munir brahma na cireṇādhigacchati. He states that mere inaction, or the renunciation of work, is distressing (duḥkham āptum ayogataḥ) when it is unnatural—when there is no higher yogic connection to provide deeper satisfaction. On the other hand, when one acts in the spirit of yoga, such practice leads quickly to the realization of brahman—yoga-yukto munir brahma na cireṇādhigacchati. Here, the realization of brahman does not necessarily mean attaining the brahmajyoti; rather, it refers to reaching the spiritual platform of consciousness.

Arjuna sees two paths before him—action, which he believes leads to bondage, and inaction, which he believes leads to liberation. Kṛṣṇa, however, clarifies that action itself can lead to liberation—and, moreover, it can do so in a way that is far less distressing and far less demanding than inaction. This is precisely what verse 5.6 conveys—that renunciation, when taken as mere inaction, will be distressing.

Kṛṣṇa has already answered Arjuna’s question in verse 5.2, stating: sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyate. He explains that both karma-sannyāsa and karma-yoga are good, for both elevate a person and lead toward liberation. However, in verse 5.6, He clarifies that detached action is superior because it is more natural, whereas renunciation is more demanding. This is the contrast He draws—between detached action and inaction.

Here in the twelfth verse, Kṛṣṇa is comparing two distinct approaches—detached work and attached work. While Arjuna had considered only two options—action and inaction—Kṛṣṇa reveals that there are actually three: detached action, inaction, and attached action.

If we think of these as three levels—Level A: detached action, Level B: inaction, and Level C: attached action—Arjuna initially assumed there were only two: B (inaction) and C (attached action). Naturally, he considered B to be better than C, thinking inaction was preferable to attached action. However, Kṛṣṇa introduces a third option—acting with detachment—and shows that this is the best path. Thus, verses 5.2 and 5.6 compare Level A (detached action) and Level B (inaction), both concluding that detached action is superior to inaction.

Now, in 5.12, Kṛṣṇa is comparing A and C—detached action and attached action. This approach of presenting both options together is something Kṛṣṇa had already used in the third chapter, where He said that the detached should work in the same way the attached do, in order to set an example for them. The verses from 3.25 to 3.30 share the same theme, describing two kinds of people — śaktāḥ and avidvāṁs (attached, ignorant), and asaktāḥ and vidvāṁs (detached, enlightened). Kṛṣṇa explains that the detached and enlightened should also act, but with the purpose of setting an example, so that the attached and ignorant can gradually rise to a higher level.

To repeat for clarity: A is detached action, B is inaction, and C is attached action. Kṛṣṇa explains that those at the A level should still act, because their example can guide those at the C level.

For people accustomed to action, the example of B is unsuitable, as they lack the adhikāra—the qualification—to give up all action. If they are told to abandon all action for spiritual advancement, they may abandon the pursuit of spiritual advancement itself. Therefore, it is wise not to create unnecessary disturbance by advising them to do something beyond their capacity.

Instead, Kṛṣṇa suggests remaining in the same sphere as they are, acting in similar ways outwardly, but with detachment. In this way, they too will learn from the example and gradually act with detachment themselves.

Kṛṣṇa has explained in the third chapter that level A is better for the sake of loka-saṅgraha—setting an example for people in general. By following this example, they will be able to rise from level C to level A, bypassing level B. This is because level B is impractical. Renouncing action is not very suitable for most people, as they cannot easily give up action altogether.

In this verse, Kṛṣṇa is clearly differentiating between A and C. He is asking Arjuna to act, but that action will not lead to bondage because it is a significantly different kind of action.

He says, yuktaḥ karma-phalaṁ tyaktvā—one who is engaged in yoga. The word ‘yukta’ is actually a variant of the word yoga. The Bhagavad-gītā uses the word yoga primarily in three forms: yoga, yogī, and yukta. Yukta is very common; it could simply mean ‘engaged,’ but it also means ‘engaged in yoga.’

Such a person, being connected with the higher spiritual reality and engaged in yoga aimed at pursuing that higher reality, gives up the immediate fruits of work (karma-phalaṁ tyaktvā). That person then attains a great, profound, and unshakable peace (śāntim āpnoti), one that cannot be disturbed (naiṣṭhikīm).

In this world, we may experience peace, but it is often fragile. At any moment, a disturbance can arise—a distressing remark from someone, a sudden natural calamity, or even an unexpected surge of desire within our own mind. These threats to peace are always present, and we can never predict when one of them might appear and snatch our peace away.

Hence, the way to find peace is not to imagine that gaining more and more power will give us greater control over external circumstances, thereby minimizing or eliminating disturbances. That will never happen.

The real path to peace is to rise to a higher, spiritual level of consciousness by becoming yukta. When we elevate our awareness, disturbances at the material level no longer unsettle us. Just as a fire on the ground may alarm those nearby but does not disturb someone flying in an airplane above it, similarly, when our consciousness is lifted upward, the agitations of this world cease to trouble us.

If Arjuna thinks that merely avoiding the war will bring him peace, that peace will be fragile—it can break at any moment. But if he raises his consciousness by performing his duty of fighting in a mood of detachment, then through the spiritual growth he attains in the process, he will experience unshakable peace.

Then Kṛṣṇa further states ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa—differentiating between how one should act and how one should not act. If one is not engaged in yoga, not spiritually purposeful, one will inevitably become materially driven, because we cannot live without pleasure. This need for pleasure will immediately push us to seek it at the material level.

Consequently, the desires already present in the senses, mind, and intelligence—which, as mentioned in the previous verse, need purification—will impel us toward action for material results, namely sense gratification. Such a person will naturally become bound. By clearly contrasting detached work with attached work, level A with level C, Kṛṣṇa makes it unmistakably clear to Arjuna which path he should follow and why acting in this way will free him from bondage.

Thank you.