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← Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion

Verse 12.11

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः | सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ||११||

Transliteration (IAST)

athaitad apy aśakto 'si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ | sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||11||

Word-by-Word Meanings

atha-if/then
aśaktaḥ-unable
kartum-to do
mad-yogam-My yoga
āśritaḥ-taking refuge
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgam-renunciation of the fruits of all actions
yata-ātmavān-self-controlled

Translation

If you are unable to do even this, then, taking refuge in My yoga, renounce the fruits of all actions with a controlled self.

Commentary

The final step in the descending ladder: simple renunciation of results. Madhva notes that even this minimal practice, when done with refuge in God (mad-yogam āśritaḥ), leads to liberation. This verse connects bhakti-yoga to the nishkāma-karma of Chapter 3, showing their ultimate unity.

Themes

bhaktikarmasurrender