Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 51
Bhagavad Gītā 2.51: Free from what binds
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः ।
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥
karmajaṃ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ
janmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchantyanāmayam
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
The wise, endowed with understanding, abandon the fruit born of action; freed from the bondage of birth, they go to the state beyond all ill. The verse states the goal of karma-yoga: liberation (mokṣa), reached not by giving up action but by giving up attachment to its fruit.
For children
Krishna says: “Wise people do good things without holding on tight to what they’ll get. That makes them feel light and free, with no worries.”
This verse follows 2.50 (“yoga is skill in action”) and describes where that skill finally leads.
Word by word
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि — The wise, joined with this understanding
- karmaja: born of action
- buddhiyukta: joined with understanding
फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः — let go of the fruit that action brings
- phala: fruit, result
- tyaktvā: having given up
- manīṣin: a wise person
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः — freed from the bonds of birth
- janmabandha: the bondage of birth
- vinirmukta: completely freed
पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् — they reach a state free from all sorrow
- pada: state, place
- anāmaya: free from sorrow or illness
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.