Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6 · Verse 1
BG 6.1
Verse 1 of Chapter 6 — Meditation and Self-Control.
anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ | sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ ||
Sanskrit / Transliteration
TRANSLATION
One who is not attached to the fruits of work and who works as is obligated is a sannyasi and yogi — not one who lights no fire and performs no duties.
EXPLANATION
The radical redefinition of renunciation. The word 'sannyasi' in conventional religion suggests someone who has given up possessions, family, and normal life. Krishna rejects this external criterion entirely. A sannyasi is defined internally: they perform all their duties, but without attachment to the results. The person who sits in a cave having given up nothing internally is not a sannyasi; the person who acts fully in the world with zero clinging to outcomes is. This verse is among the most subversive in the Gita — it puts the ordinary working person on exactly the same path as the monk.