BG 6.1 — Dhyāna-Yoga — Sūtrakṛt-Gītā

Bhagavad Gītā 6.1Chapter 6 · Dhyāna-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh

अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः ।

स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर् न चाक्रियः ॥

anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṃ kāryaṃ karma karoti yaḥ

sa saṃnyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ

spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip

meaning

Whoever performs required action without banking on its fruit is the true renunciant and yogi, not one who merely abandons the sacred fire or sits idle.

ekras · bhāṣya

The one who performs required action without depending on its fruit is the samnyasi and the yogi both. The next half-verse names what samnyasi is not: the man who has merely set down the fire and the man who has merely ceased acting. Form does not confer the title; the inner condition does.

Shankara reads the redefinition strictly. Samnyasa here means tyaga — the relinquishment of result-craving. The agnihotra is still being performed; the action is still being executed; what is being renounced is karma-phala-trishna, the desire for fruit. The man who has dropped the fire and the man who has dropped the action have only gone halfway in the wrong direction; the inner relinquishment they were after has not been accomplished by the outer abandonment.

Madhusudana reads on two levels at once. At the gauna, secondary level, the karma-yogi merits both titles because phala-tyaga enacts samnyasa and phala-trishna-abhava enacts chitta-samadhana; both are present in the single act of nishkama-karma. More precisely, niragni conceals samnyasi — the one who relinquishes all karma — and akriyah conceals yogi, the one whose action has stilled. The verse is denying the bare absences and affirming the full presences.

Ramanuja softens the architecture. Performing action as direct aradhana of the Parama-Purusha — even the agnihotra read as service to the inner self of all — constitutes both jnana-yoga-nishtha and karma-yoga-nishtha simultaneously.

Madhva is precise on the negation: even the chaturtha-ashramin retains agni and kriya, and so niragni-akriyah does not name the samnyasi at all.

Context

where

Chapter 6 · Dhyāna-Yoga · meter anuṣṭubh

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

What's going on

Whoever performs required action without banking on its fruit is the true renunciant and yogi, not one who merely abandons the sacred fire or sits idle.

Sūtras through this verse · hub (63)

RamsukhdasclassicalB

This human birth — your one chance to actbetween

3.8Even keeping the body alive requires action.───→here6.1───→6.40A fallen seeker still keeps the human birth.

RāmānujaclassicalB

The śāstra is one bracket (2.12 → 18.66)between

2.39Practice seam begins.───→here6.1───→6.46The yogi outranks every other path.

MadhvaclassicalT2

Soul depends on Lord — the gap that does not closebetween

5.14The soul rules the inert; the Lord rules the soul.───→here6.1───→6.9Souls differ by nature not by accident alone.

show all 63

RamsukhdasclassicalA

What binds you (and how to let go)station · anchor

───→here6.1───→

Madhusūdanaclassicalmadhusudan_bhagavad_arpana

Renouncer and yogi togetherstation · other · station 3/7

───→here6.1───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalB

Different students need different teachingsstation

───→here6.1───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalC

Action purifies before knowing can landstation

───→here6.1───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalD

Offer the act to the Lord and it stops bindingstation

───→here6.1───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalG

Knowing and acting cannot run togetherstation

───→here6.1───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalI

Liberation while alive — the body finishes its runbetween

3.1The architecture ends in living-liberation, then bodily.───→here6.1───→6.46The yogi with mind-stilled stands above mere knowing.

MadhusūdanaclassicalE

Devotion is how knowing actually arrivesapproach

───→here6.1───→7.1The chapter elaborates the prior bhajana-line.

MadhusūdanaclassicalF

Every middle chapter opens with a bow to the teacherapproach

───→here6.1───→7.1A bow to the bliss-cloud, Nanda's son, opens seven.

RamsukhdasclassicalA

What binds you (and how to let go)station

───→here6.1───→

RamsukhdasclassicalC

Desire is the root — not actionbetween

5.26With desire gone, the goal stands on all sides.───→here6.1───→6.24Renounce every desire born of will.

RamsukhdasclassicalG

Equanimity in everythingbetween

5.19A mind in equality has already won.───→here6.1───→6.8Clay, stone, and gold are all level to him.

RamsukhdasclassicalH

All paths arrive at the same roombetween

5.4Insight and practice are not two paths.───→here6.1───→6.46The lover outranks every other yogi.

RamsukhdasclassicalK

The body is not yoursbetween

5.8The knower thinks, 'I do nothing at all.'───→here6.1───→6.3Body, senses, and mind: none of them yours.

RamsukhdasclassicalI

The Lord already inside the heartapproach

───→here6.1───→6.30See Me everywhere, I am never lost.

RāmānujaclassicalC

Three ṣaṭkas (1–6 / 7–12 / 13–18)station

───→here6.1───→

RāmānujaclassicalD

Karma-yoga as kainkarya (worship)station

───→here6.1───→

MadhvaclassicalT7

Action and knowledge — never rivalsstation

───→here6.1───→

VallabhaclassicalC

Drop the doer, not the deedstation

───→here6.1───→

VallabhaclassicalD

Chapter-opening preludesstation

───→here6.1───→

VallabhaclassicalE

Three paths, one teaching orderstation

───→here6.1───→

MadhvaclassicalT3

Ranking is real — and it never collapsesbetween

4.6Avatāras differ in their fullness of Hari.───→here6.1───→6.9Devas, asuras, mortals are three native kinds.

MadhvaclassicalT6

Citation is the spine — texts carry the loadbetween

4.8Ṛgveda khilas explain the descent as play.───→here6.1───→6.6Maitrāyaṇī defines the stilled mind.

MadhvaclassicalT8

Direct vision — the only proximate causebetween

5.16Mediated knowing is just the first step.───→here6.1───→6.7The stilled mind sees the seated supreme self.

MadhvaclassicalT9

Devotion and grace — what knowledge cannot do alonebetween

2.72Many lives of bhakti precede the final crossing.───→here6.1───→6.30Devotion brings what the seeker cannot earn.

MadhvaclassicalT12

Closure by gloss — the small repertoirebetween

5.7'Self of all' resolves to the Lord himself.───→here6.1───→6.20'Self' here is not soul but the Lord within.

VallabhaclassicalH

Stilling the mind — into the Lordbetween

2.48Yoga itself is just sameness of mind.───→here6.1───→6.46The yogi closing the ṣaṭka is a mind-stiller.

RāmānujaclassicalA

World as the Lord's body (antaryāmin)approach

───→here6.1───→7.4Two natures of the Lord: matter and selves.

RāmānujaclassicalE

Bhakti as continuous recollectionapproach

───→here6.1───→7.17I am dearest to him.

RāmānujaclassicalF

Two prakṛtis · jīva as eternal aṃśaapproach

───→here6.1───→7.4Lower nature: matter.

RāmānujaclassicalJ

Śeṣa-śeṣī · pati-vrata simileapproach

───→here6.1───→7.18He is My self; I cannot hold without him.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markapproach

───→here6.1───→7.18The wise one is Myself, by grace alone.

VallabhaclassicalK

Aphorism, gloss, full commentaryapproach

───→here6.1───→6.47Six chapters of aphorism close at this verse.

Gauravmodernchaplaincy_kit_of_tools

Chaplaincy Kit Of Toolsbetween

4.34Paramparā / direct transmission. 'Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya, u───→here6.1───→6.11Mudra and posture. 'Shuchau deshe pratishthapya sthiram asanam atmanah.' Establi

Gauravmoderncivilizational_air_conditioning

Civilizational Air Conditioningbetween

3.21'Yad yad acharati shreshthas tat tad evetaro janah.' Whatever the leader does, o───→here6.1───→6.5'Uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet.' Lift yourself by yourself, do not l

Gauravmodernheart_leadership

Heart Leadershipbetween

2.48'Yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva Dhananjaya, siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva───→here6.1───→6.7'Jitatmanah prashantasya paramatma samahitah.' For the self-conquered, in-peace,

Gauravmodernthree_yogas_braid

Three Yogas Braidbetween

5.5'Yat sankhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate.' The place reached by sa───→here6.1───→6.46'Tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogi jnanibhyo'pi mato'dhikah, karmibhyash chadhiko yogi tasm

Gauravmodernwitness_self_neti_neti

Witness Self Neti Netibetween

2.20'Na jayate mriyate va kadachit, nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah, ajo nityah sh───→here6.1───→6.20'Yatroparamate chittam niruddham yoga-sevaya, yatra chaivatmana'tmanam pashyann

ĀnandagiriclassicalB

Three hexads = tat tvam asibetween

2.1First hexad opens, tvam-pada implicit.───→here6.1───→6.46Inner-self hexad closes; pivot prepared.

ĀnandagiriclassicalC

Adhikāra: seeker vs. fulfilledbetween

5.1Two saṃnyāsas: fruit and means.───→here6.1───→6.46Yogin vs. jñānin: not synonyms.

ĀnandagiriclassicalK

Upasaṃhāra — recap as instrumentbetween

2.39Wisdom section wound up here.───→here6.1───→6.46Dhyāna section sealed: yogin is supreme.

ĀnandagiriclassicalI

Bhakti carries jñāna, never parallelapproach

───→here6.1───→7.1Upāsya and tat-pada in apposition. Anchor.

ĀnandagiriclassicalJ

Prakṛti is never autonomousapproach

───→here6.1───→7.4Two-fold prakṛti is the Lord's own power.

Śaṅkaraclassicalshankara_jnana_nishtha

Soft sense of renouncerstation · other · station 4/6

───→here6.1───→

ŚaṅkaraclassicalB

Knowledge alone, with all action laid downstation

───→here6.1───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalG

Three yogas — three angles on one configurationstation

───→here6.1───→

ŚrīdharaclassicalL

Chapter prefaces as the bhāṣya's spinestation

───→here6.1───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalF

Saṅgati — anticipation-and-resolutionbetween

3.1Arjuna's question resolves 2.49's hint.───→here6.1───→6.47Top-yogin clause — the chapter-7 hinge.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalI

The lover and the knower are one personapproach

───→here6.1───→7.16Of the four devotees, the knower is dearest.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalB

Prapatti — bhakti's access for those the long path defeatsapproach

───→here6.1───→7.14Those who take refuge cross the māyā.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalI

9.24 — the standing citation for ārādhyaapproach

───→here6.1───→7.21Deity-worship: His self-arrangement of grace.

ŚrīdharaclassicalC

Devotion is both the way and the homeapproach

───→here6.1───→6.47Be a devotee: that is the meaning.

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessapproach

───→here6.1───→7.14Undivided love crosses the great mist.

ŚrīdharaclassicalK

Death-memory as the test of daily habitapproach

───→here6.1───→8.5Whoever remembers Me at the last reaches Me.

ŚaṅkaraclassicalG

After knowing, act only to hold the worldexit

5.8I do nothing at all, says the knower.───→here6.1───→

Ekrasmodernvairagya

Vairāgya — dispassion as instrumentbetween · v2

5.28Senses, mind, buddhi held───→here6.1───→6.4Renounced in resolve

Ekrasmodernmeditation

Meditation — the dhyāna tourapproach · v2

───→here6.1───→6.10Solitary seat

Ekrasmodernbhakti

Bhakti — devotion pathapproach · v2

───→here6.1───→7.16Four kinds of bhakta

JayatīrthaclassicalC

Refuting Śaṅkara-style readings, named or unnamedstation

───→here6.1───→

JayatīrthaclassicalD

Saṅgati declared at the head of every adhyāyastation

───→here6.1───→

Śabda · lemmas (12 unique · 17 occurrences)

योगी yogin — yogi (yoga + -in 'possessor of') · nominative masculine singular noun
कार्यम्·करोति kṛ ×2 — to do, make (verbal root) · accusative neuter singular gdv noun / present indicative 3rd person singular verb
संन्यासी saṃnyāsin — renunciate (sam- + ni- + √as + -in) · nominative masculine singular noun · also at 5.3, 6.2, 6.4
अनाश्रितः anāśrita — not depending upon, independent (an- + āśrita) · nominative masculine singular noun

show all 12

च ca ×3 — and; (homonym: also the consonant ca)
कर्म karman ×2 — action, deed, the law of action · compound / accusative neuter singular noun
न na ×2 — not (negation particle)
फलम् phala — fruit, result · accusative neuter singular noun
यः yad — which, who (relative pronoun) · nominative masculine singular noun
स tad — that (distal demonstrative); also 3rd-person pronoun · nominative masculine singular noun
निरग्निः niragni — without sacred fire (nis- + agni) · nominative masculine singular noun
अक्रियः akriya — without ritual action (a- + kriyā) · nominative masculine singular noun

Praśna · so what (7)

01If the saṃnyāsī title belongs to inner non-attachment rather than external fire-abandonment, what is the practical test that distinguishes genuine phala-tyāga from self-deception disguised as renunciation?
02Rāmānuja insists the karma-yogī holds both jñāna-niṣṭhā and karma-niṣṭhā simultaneously — does this make karma-yoga structurally superior to jñāna-yoga alone, and how does Chapter 6 resolve the apparent hierarchy set up in Chapter 3–5?

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03Madhva's reading requires even the renunciant to maintain agni as Brahman-worship — what happens to the monk who has genuinely no material fire? Is the requirement metaphorical, or does it bind the fourth-āśramin literally?
04The verse explicitly negates two inadequate models (niragnī, akriya) before offering the positive — why does Kṛṣṇa structure the definition by exclusion rather than simple affirmation, and what rhetorical work does that structure do in the Gītā's arc?
05Śrīdhara names the danger as 'sahasa-saṃnyāsa' (rash abandonment) — in what conditions does premature renunciation become spiritually harmful, and what distinguishes that from the legitimate samyak-saṃnyāsa the Upaniṣads sanction?
06Madhusūdana's prasaṃsā-nañ (praise-by-negation) reading shows the verse commends the engaged actor by contrasting with the withdrawn one — does this create a permanent asymmetry in the Gītā between inner renunciation and outer engagement, or is full physical renunciation eventually endorsed?
07Across all six schools the verse marks karma-yoga as the opening move of Chapter 6's dhyāna-yoga — what is lost or transformed when a practitioner moves from niṣkāma-karma to the seated meditation the chapter will require?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

Before beginning any task today — professional, domestic, or creative — pause and explicitly drop the mental image of the reward. Not 'I will do this so that X follows,' but 'this is what is required (kāryam) and I will do it fully.' Notice how the absence of result-craving changes the texture of attention during the task itself; Śaṅkara's gauṇa saṃnyāsa happens in that noticing.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

Frame each duty this morning as kaiṅkarya — service to the indwelling Bhagavān present in every person and situation you encounter. A work email, a conversation with a colleague, a meal prepared: each becomes ārādhana when executed with the inward posture 'this action is itself my worship; the outcome belongs to the Lord.' The relational warmth characteristic of Rāmānuja's school means the practice is affectively rich, not coldly detached.

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Dvaita

When a good action yields no visible fruit — the effort that goes unrecognised, the prayer that seems unanswered — hold Madhva's principle: the jīva's dependence on Hari is total and permanent. The absence of result is not failure; it is a reminder that all outcomes are Hari's domain and your role is strict surrender in the act itself. Polemical alertness: notice if you are quietly negotiating with the outcome even while claiming non-attachment.

Śuddhādvaita

Vallabha's insistence on completeness of practice means you cannot selectively drop obligations while claiming puṣṭi-grace. If you have committed to a sādhana (a daily discipline, a relationship, a vocational duty), continue it in full — skipping the 'fire-aided' portions because they are inconvenient is precisely the incomplete saṃnyāsa Kṛṣṇa rejects. Grace flows through the channels you keep open, not through the gaps you carve out for comfort.

Bhakti

Śrīdhara's warning about premature renunciation is acutely practical: do not quit a responsibility because it is painful and call it spiritual progress. The Gītā's standard is that you remain in action, purify the action of its fruit-clinging, and then — and only then — the action itself becomes a bhakti-vehicle. The devotional inflection: offer the completed action to Kṛṣṇa at its close, a simple internal 'this was Yours,' and the cycle is complete.

Advaita-Bhakti

Madhusūdana's synthesis: live as sa-agni (with fire, i.e., fully engaged) and sa-kriya (with action, i.e., mentally present), but let the engagement be simultaneously a pointing-toward-Kṛṣṇa. In practice, this means full professional and relational engagement paired with a brief Kṛṣṇa-arpita (offering to Kṛṣṇa) at the start and close of each block of work — neither the jñānin's detached witness-stance nor the bhakta's emotional overflow, but a warm, clear, purposeful engagement that holds both at once.

Adhiṣṭhāna · substrate signature

substratev2.6-frozen

parserByT5-Sanskrit-multitask (Nehrdich/Hellwig/Keutzer EMNLP 2024)

mūlaBelvalkar critical edition (BORI 1947), via Ambuda multi-witness

show all metadata

weightsa=1 · b=0.01 · e_v=0.005 · z=0.2 · h=0 · th=0.01

anchorfit on Ramsukhdas's Sādhak Sañjīvanī (1980), frozen across the eight-commentator panel; cross-validated R@4 = 71.6% on Śaṅkara

extracted2026-04-21

methodPaper 1, Section II.B

↓ view raw per-verse object (JSON)↗ per-verse-object schema ↗ substrate code (MIT) + data (CC-BY 4.0)

The schema generalizes to any bounded-polysemy corpus with discrete primary text units, attested witness traditions, identifiable schools, and formal substrate. Port the per-verse object; refit weights on a domain-appropriate Layer-3 anchor; ship.

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 6, Verse 1: Krishna to Arjuna — Dhyāna-Yoga