Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 5
The Yoga of Renunciation
Karma Sanyāsa Yoga
Renouncing action, or renouncing attachment?
Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 5 (traditional text)
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Story
What happens
The chapter compares withdrawal with engaged action and concludes that the two are not opposed when attachment is absent. The person who acts while offering the results is described as untouched, "like a lotus leaf in water".
Key ideas
What this chapter turns on
- Renunciation
- Non-attachment
- Inner peace
- Karma Yoga
- Detachment
Explore the verses
Verses from this chapter
Verses for this chapter haven’t been added to the library yet. Only sourced text is published here.
Understand
In plain language
Explanation — written by Frenly Divine, not scripture
Arjuna asks which is better: giving up action, or acting. Krishna says both lead to the same place, but acting without attachment is the easier path.
Reflect
Something to sit with
- Are you trying to escape a situation, or to be less gripped by it?