Gita 06.01 – Renunciation means to give up the shelter of work’s fruits

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-01-renunciation-means-to-give-up-the-shelter-of-works-fruits/

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ
kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca
na niragnir na cākriyaḥ (Bg 6.1)

Word-for-word:
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Lord said; anāśritaḥ — without taking shelter; karma-phalam — of the result of work; kāryam — obligatory; karma — work; karoti — performs; yaḥ — one who; saḥ — he; sannyāsī — in the renounced order; ca — also; yogī — mystic; ca — also; na — not; niḥ — without; agniḥ — fire; na — nor; ca — also; akriyaḥ — without duty.

Translation:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty.

Explanation:
Here, we begin the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, which is generally called Dhyāna-yoga.

The Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, says (śrī-bhagavān uvāca):
anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ: Without taking shelter of the fruits of work,
kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ: one who performs his prescribed duties,
sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca: such a person is both a renunciant and a yogī,
na niragnir na cākriyaḥ: not one who lights no fire and does no work.

Here, Kṛṣṇa begins with a resonant statement—it strikes like a bang. He emphasizes that one should not give up action. Later in this chapter, Kṛṣṇa will indeed speak about renunciation, about going to the forest and giving up work altogether, but that comes at a much later stage. At this point, His instruction is firm: “Do not give up action.” In other words, act according to your nature and perform your prescribed duty.

Kṛṣṇa even goes so far as to call such a person a sannyāsī. Earlier, He had already described the one who performs work as a yogī. That terminology first appears in 2.39, where He introduced the word yoga: eṣā te ’bhihitā sāṅkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṁ śṛṇu (Bhagavad-gītā 2.39)—“I will now explain how buddhi can be applied in the realm of yoga.” Thus, throughout the Bhagavad-gītā, the word “yoga” is generally employed to indicate action.

The word “sannyasa” is generally understood as the renunciation of action. Yet, in the fifth chapter, verse 3, Kṛṣṇa introduced the term “nitya-sannyāsī:”
jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī
yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati
nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho
sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate
Here, Kṛṣṇa defines a sannyāsī not as one who gives up work, but as one who renounces aversion and hankering, and who, being free from duality, performs action without bondage.

In the present verse, Kṛṣṇa repeats the same point: the person who acts is both a sannyāsī and a yogī—sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca. How does such a person work? Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ. The term “karma-phala” means the fruit of work. What does it mean to take “shelter” of the fruit of work?

We use the word “shelter” when, for example, there is sudden rain. Then we may seek shelter under the roof of a building, inside a cottage, or, if nothing else is available, beneath a tree. Shelter is that which offers relief or protection. In the same way, all of us take shelter of something or the other.

Thus, “anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ” refers to making the fruit of work one’s shelter—the source of relief. When we are striving, work is rarely comfortable. It is usually strenuous, and often we need motivation to continue. At such times, we may take shelter of the fruit of work, thinking, “Yes, it is for this fruit that I am working.” But here Kṛṣṇa teaches that the fruit itself should not be the shelter; rather, it should be directed toward a higher purpose.

A devotee may also aspire to accomplish something wonderful, but the purpose is not merely to achieve greatness. The devotee desires to do something wonderful for Kṛṣṇa, to deepen their shelter in Him through the service they perform. Materialistic people, however, aim simply to achieve something remarkable and thereby take shelter in it. They seek refuge in their past accomplishments, in relief from present challenges, and in the hope of future successes.

Such work, no matter how glamorized it may be in today’s world, is binding, and Kṛṣṇa cautions us not to work in this way. Rather, He says: anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ. Here, kāryam means ‘that which is obligatory or ordained.’

The verse also carries a poetic rhythm through its alliteration: the repeated “ka” sound in kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, the “ca” sound in sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca, and the “na” sound in na niragnir na cākriyaḥ. Thus, the verse is not only poetic in form but also emphatic in its philosophical message, which strongly resists the misconception of equating renunciation with inaction. Kṛṣṇa declares that one who performs action with detachment—without seeking shelter in the fruits of work—is the true yogī and the genuine sannyāsī.

Thank you.