18.26 A doer who does not speak of themselves Krishna speaks
मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते
mukta-saṅgo ‘nahaṁ-vādī dhṛity-utsāha-samanvitaḥ
siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika uchyate
A doer free of attachment, who does not speak of themselves, filled with resolve and vigour, unmoved in success and failure, is said to be of clarity.
Explanation
A doer who does not speak of themselves.
anahaṁ-vādī — literally, not an I-sayer. Free of attachment, resolute, vigorous, unmoved in success and failure.
The clarity grade includes vigour. Nothing in this taxonomy equates the highest state with doing less, which is worth holding against every reading of the Gita as quietism.
Word by word
- mukta-saṅgaḥ
- free from worldly attachment
- anaham-vādī
- free from ego
- dhṛiti
- strong resolve
- utsāha
- zeal
- samanvitaḥ
- endowed with
- siddhi-asiddhyoḥ
- in success and failure
- nirvikāraḥ
- unaffected
- kartā
- worker
- sāttvikaḥ
- in the mode of goodness
- uchyate
- is said to be
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