"What goes around comes around." "You reap what you sow." Popular culture has simplified karma into a cosmic tit-for-tat—do good, receive good; do bad, receive bad. While there's truth in this, the Bhagavad Gita presents a far more profound and nuanced understanding of karma that goes beyond simple moral accounting.
The Gita's teaching on karma addresses the deepest questions of human existence: Why do we suffer? How are we bound to cycles of action and reaction? How can we act freely in a world of cause and effect? Most importantly—how can we be liberated from karmic bondage while still living and acting in the world?
This exploration of karma in the Bhagavad Gita reveals not just how actions create consequences, but how wisdom, detachment, and devotion can free us from the chains of karma altogether.
The Sanskrit word "karma" comes from the root "kri," meaning "to do" or "to act." At its most basic, karma simply means action. But in the Gita's philosophical context, it encompasses:
कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः।
अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः॥
karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ
"The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is."
Krishna acknowledges here that karma is profoundly complex—"gahanā" means deep, impenetrable, difficult to fathom. This complexity arises because:
The Gita presents a crucial insight: it is not action itself that binds us, but attachment to action and its results.
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः।
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर॥
yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara
"Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage."
The Gita explains how action binds us through a chain reaction:
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते॥
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate
"While contemplating sense objects, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises."
The Gita analyzes karma through the lens of the three gunas (qualities of nature), revealing that not all actions are equal:
Actions performed with purity, without attachment to results, done as duty for the greater good. Sattvic karma is characterized by:
Actions driven by desire for personal gain, performed with ego and attachment to results. Rajasic karma is characterized by:
Actions performed in delusion, without regard for consequences, often causing harm. Tamasic karma is characterized by:
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम्।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते॥
niyataṁ saṅga-rahitam arāga-dveṣataḥ kṛtam
aphala-prepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikam ucyate
"Action which is regulated and performed without attachment, without love or hatred, and without desire for fruitive results is said to be in the mode of goodness."
The Gita's central teaching on karma is the revolutionary concept of nishkama karma—action performed without attachment to results. This is the key to acting in the world while remaining free from karmic bondage.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of results, nor be attached to inaction."
This teaching doesn't mean:
It does mean:
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhya-siddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
"Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."
When we act with equanimity—equally balanced in success and failure—action no longer binds us. We do our duty, accept whatever comes, and remain inwardly free.
The Gita reveals that wisdom itself destroys karma. This is one of the most liberating teachings in the text.
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा॥
yathaidhāṁsi samiddho 'gnir bhasma-sāt kurute 'rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi bhasma-sāt kurute tathā
"As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all karmic reactions."
What is this knowledge that burns karma?
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः।
अहंकारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते॥
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṁkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate
"All activities are carried out by the three modes of material nature. But in ignorance, the soul, deluded by false ego, thinks itself the doer."
When this wisdom dawns, karma loses its power. Actions continue—the body moves, the mind thinks—but they don't stick to the one who has realized their true nature.
Bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) offers another powerful means of freedom from karma. By offering all actions to the Divine, the devotee transcends karmic bondage.
मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः॥
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ
"Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight."
The logic is profound: if all actions are offered to God, then God receives their karmic fruits. The devotee acts as an instrument, not as an independent agent accumulating personal karma.
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
"Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."
This is Krishna's ultimate promise: complete surrender to the Divine brings complete freedom from karma. The Lord himself takes responsibility for the devotee's liberation.
How do we apply the Gita's teachings on karma in daily life?
In any task—work project, relationship, creative endeavor—give your best effort while releasing attachment to specific results. Your job is to do your duty excellently; the results involve factors beyond your control.
Before acting, ask: "Why am I doing this? Is it from desire for personal gain (rajasic), from laziness or delusion (tamasic), or from genuine duty and service (sattvic)?" The answer shapes the karmic weight of your action.
Before any significant action, mentally offer it: "May this be done for the highest good, not just my personal benefit." This simple practice shifts the energy from ego-driven to service-oriented.
When results come—whether desired or not—receive them with equanimity. Success doesn't inflate your ego; failure doesn't crush you. Both are simply results of actions meeting circumstances.
Reflect on how many factors contribute to any result: your effort, others' contributions, circumstances, timing, and countless unknowns. This humbles the sense of "I did it" and opens recognition of something larger at work.
The Gita presents a nuanced view of karma: all actions have consequences that bind the soul to the cycle of rebirth, but actions performed without attachment to results (nishkama karma) do not create karmic bondage. The Gita offers liberation from karma through detached action, devotion, and wisdom—showing that how we act matters as much as what we do.
The Gita teaches three ways to act without binding karma: (1) Nishkama karma—performing duty without attachment to outcomes; (2) Offering all actions to the Divine (yajna); (3) Acting from wisdom (jnana) with knowledge that the self is distinct from actions. When ego-driven desire is removed from action, karma no longer binds.
The Gita describes karma influenced by the three gunas: Sattvic karma (pure, beneficial, performed with detachment), Rajasic karma (passionate, ego-driven, attached to results), and Tamasic karma (ignorant, harmful, performed in delusion). Only sattvic karma, when combined with detachment, leads toward liberation.
Yes. The Gita teaches that wisdom burns accumulated karma (4.37) and that surrender to the Divine frees one from all karmic reactions (18.66). The enlightened person, acting from wisdom and devotion without ego-driven attachment, transcends karma while still appearing to act in the world.
The Gita's view is more sophisticated. Even "good" actions bind if performed with ego and attachment. The key is how we act—with what intention and degree of attachment—not just what we do. Selfless action for dharma doesn't bind, while selfish action, even if externally good, creates karmic bondage.
Discover all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita with Sanskrit text, translations, and wisdom for transcending karma. Begin your journey today.
Download Free AppGet personalized spiritual guidance with the Srimad Gita App. Daily verses, AI-powered insights, and more.