śrī bhagavān uvāca kāmyānāṁ karmaṇāṁ nyāsaṁ sannyāsaṁ kavayo viduḥ sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prāhus tyāgaṁ vicakṣaṇāḥ
"The Blessed Lord said: The sages understand sannyasa as the renunciation of desire-prompted actions; the wise declare tyaga as the relinquishment of the fruits of all actions."
What This Means:
Krishna explains: Sannyasa means giving up actions done for selfish desires. Tyaga means doing all actions but giving up attachment to their results.
Going Deeper:
Krishna presents two respected viewpoints from the tradition. Sannyasa focuses on eliminating desire-driven actions (kamya karma), while tyaga allows all actions but transforms the inner attitude. Both paths aim at freedom from bondage, but tyaga is more practical for most people living in the world.
How To Apply This:
You don't need to stop all activities to be spiritual. Transform your motivation - do what needs to be done, but release your grip on specific outcomes.
Key Sanskrit Terms: