Bhagavad Gita 2.51 · Krishna
The place beyond sorrow
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः।
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम्॥
karmajaṃ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥjanmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchantyanāmayam
United with understanding, the wise drop their clinging to action's fruits, leave birth's bonds behind, and reach the state beyond sorrow.
Words
- karma
What it means
Krishna describes where this path leads. The wise still act. But they let go of clinging to the fruits of karma. That release frees them from the bonds that keep pulling us back into birth and death. They reach anamaya, a state free of sickness and sorrow.
The story
Arjuna has been imagining only loss. Krishna paints a different horizon. Not escape from action, but freedom within it. The same hands that hold the bow can hold it without bondage.
In your life
Picture a retired teacher who gave decades to students, never needing their thanks, now living with a deep, quiet contentment. Give generously today without keeping score. Notice how light it feels.
Freedom grows from letting go.