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Bhagavad-gītā 4.23

गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः । यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते ॥ २३ ॥
gata-saṅgasya muktasya
[gata-sangasya muktasya]
jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ
[jnaanaavasthita-chetasah]
yajñāyācarataḥ karma
[yajnaayaacharatah karma]
samagraṁ pravilīyate
[samagram pravileeyate]
Word-for-word
gata - saṅgasya — of one unattached to the modes of material nature muktasya — of the liberated jñāna - avasthita — situated in transcendence cetasaḥ — whose wisdom yajñāya — for the sake of Yajña (Kṛṣṇa) ācarataḥ — acting karma — work samagram — in total pravilīyate — merges entirely .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gata-saṅgasya muktasya
gata - saṅgasya
of one unattached to the modes of material nature
muktasya
of the liberated
jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ
jñāna - avasthita
situated in transcendence
cetasaḥ
whose wisdom
yajñāyācarataḥ karma
yajñāya
for the sake of Yajña (Kṛṣṇa)
ācarataḥ
acting
karma
work
samagraṁ pravilīyate
samagram
in total
pravilīyate
merges entirely .
Important Words
  • gata - saṅgasya — of one whose attachment is gone
    Compound in genitive: gata (gone) + saṅga (attachment). The hinge word of 2.47 (saṅgaḥ) reappears now in its dissolved form. Without saṅga, the work loses its binding hook.
  • muktasya — of the liberated one
    Past passive participle of √muc — 'released.' Genitive — 'of the one who has been freed.' The grammar locates liberation as already accomplished; the verse describes how such a person's action behaves.
  • jñāna - avasthita — situated in knowledge
    Compound: jñāna (knowledge) + avasthita (standing-settled). Not just knowing; *standing inside* knowledge as one stands inside a house. The participle implies stable residence, not a passing insight.
  • yajñāya — for the sake of sacrifice
    Dative — 'for sacrifice.' Karma performed yajñāya is karma offered. The dative case makes the offering structural to the act, not a postscript. Work as yajña does not bind; work without yajña does.
  • pravilīyate — merges, dissolves completely
    Pra + vi + √lī — 'thoroughly dissolved.' Strong verb. The work does not slowly diminish; it dissolves entirely into transcendence. No karmic residue, no accumulation.
The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Four conditions of the actor — non-attachment, liberation, knowledge-fixed mind, and sacrificial intent — combine to dissolve the whole of his action. Action ceases to leave any track; karmic residue evaporates.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verse introduces यज्ञ-bhāvanā: every act re-framed as sacrifice. प्रविलीयते (dissolves) is a strong verb — not stored, not deferred, but vanished. This sets up the catalogue of yajñas from 4.24 onwards. Cross-ref Īśopaniṣad mantra 2 on lifelong work as non-binding.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
गत-सङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञान-अवस्थित-चेतसः यज्ञाय आचरतः (कर्तुः) कर्म समग्रम् प्रविलीयते।
gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñāna-avasthita-cetasaḥ yajñāya ācarataḥ (kartuḥ) karma samagram pravilīyate|
For one whose attachment is gone, who is liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, and who acts as sacrifice — his action dissolves entirely.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
गत-सङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञान-अवस्थित-चेतसः । यज्ञाय आचरतः कर्म समग्रम् प्रविलीयते ॥
gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñāna-avasthita-cetasaḥ | yajñāya ācarataḥ karma samagram pravilīyate ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
गत-सङ्गस्य gata-saṅgasya गत (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + सङ्ग gen.sg. (genitive singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of one whose attachment is gone
मुक्तस्य muktasya √मुच् p.p.p. (past passive participle) gen.sg. (genitive singular)m. of the liberated
ज्ञान-अवस्थित-चेतसः jñāna-avasthita-cetasaḥ ज्ञान + अवस्थित (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + चेतस् (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) whose mind is settled in knowledge
यज्ञाय yajñāya यज्ञ (m.) dat.sg. (dative singular), purpose for the sake of sacrifice
आचरतः ācarataḥ आ+√चर् pres. (present) active part. gen.sg. (genitive singular)m. of one acting
कर्म karma कर्मन् (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) action
समग्रम् samagram समग्र (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. entirely
प्रविलीयते pravilīyate प्र+वि+√ली pass. (passive) pres. (present) 3sg. is dissolved
Purport

Becoming fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, one is freed from all dualities and thus is free from the contaminations of the material modes. He can become liberated because he knows his constitutional position in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and thus his mind cannot be drawn from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consequently, whatever he does, he does for Kṛṣṇa, who is the primeval Viṣṇu. Therefore, all his works are technically sacrifices because sacrifice aims at satisfying the Supreme Person, Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. The resultant reactions to all such work certainly merge into transcendence, and one does not suffer material effects.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
23. Devoid of desire for results, free from attachment, absorbed in knowledge, and engaged in actions of yajña, he does not accrue karmic reactions.
Commentary

For one who performs actions for the purpose of yajña, which will now be described, karma dissolves. The state of non-action or no reactions to work is attained by this.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
23. For the person devoid of desire for results, free from attachment and hatred, absorbed in knowledge, and engaged in actions for pleasing Viṣṇu, all karmas are destroyed.
Commentary

For the person who is niṣkāma (gata saṅgasya), devoid of attraction and repulsion (muktasya), whose mind is absorbed in knowledge of his own ātmā, and who performs those actions while thinking that they are for the pleasure of Viṣṇu (yajñāya), all previous karmas, causes of bondage, are destroyed.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

And here is the summary of akarma work:

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Kṛṣṇa will describe a variety of sacrifices in the following verses because these sacrifices have tran-

scendental knowledge, the theme of this chapter, as their ultimate goal.

We should not underestimate the importance of acquiring transcendental knowledge. Knowledge

about Kṛṣṇa, the jīvātma, the material world and the process of devotional service solidifies our de-

votional practices. Tāhāì vistārita hañā phale prema-phala ihāì mālī sece nitya śravaṇādi jala: “The

[devotional] creeper greatly expands in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, and there it produces the

fruit of love for Kṛṣṇa. Although remaining in the material world, the gardener regularly sprinkles the

creeper with the water of hearing and chanting” (Cc. Madhya 19. 155).

Cultivating Kṛṣṇa conscious knowledge is, therefore, essential. Only then can knowledge and work

be combined so that one’s work becomes a sacrifice to Kṛṣṇa.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
4.23 Muktasya, of the liberated person who has become relieved of such bondages as righteousness and unrighteousness, etc.; gatasangasya, who has got rid of attachment, who has become detached from everything; jnana-avasthita-cetasah, whose mind is fixed in Knowledge only; his karma, actions; acaratah, undertaken; yajnaya, for a sacrifice, to accomplish a sacrifice [A.G. takes yajna to mean Visnu. So, yajnaya will mean 'for Visnu'. Sankaracarya also interprets this word similarly in 3.9.-Tr.]; praviliyate, gets destroyed; samagram, totally-saha (together) agrena (with its conseence, result). This is the meaning. For what reason, again, does an action that is underway get destroyed totally without producing its result? This is being answered: Because,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
4.23 Of a person whose attachment to all objects is gone because of his mind being established in the knowledge of the self, who is therefore liberated from accepting all worldly possessions and who is engaged in the performance of sacrifices etc., as described above - in the case of such a person his beginningless load of Karma, which is the cause of his bondgae, is completely dissolved, i.e., destroyed without leaving any residue. So far the nature of Karma as having the form of knowledge has been described as emerging from constant contemplation on the nature of the self as different from Prakrti. And now Sri Krsna says that all actions together with their ancillaries, have the form of knowledge because of constant contemplation by the aspirant on the Supreme Person who is the Supreme Brahman, as being his soul.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
4.23 Gatasangasya etc. For sacrifice (yajnaya) : The singular number is to be construed with the class [yajnatva]. [Hence the meaning is] : 'The sacrifice' that are being defined in the seel. It has been said 'for the sake of sacrifice etc.' Now their general nature, [the Lord] describes :
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
4.23 To one who is devoid of attchment, who is liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, who works for the sake of sacrifice (for the sake of God), the whole action is dissolved.
Commentary

4.23 गतसङ्गस्य one who is devoid of attachment? मुक्तस्य of the liberated? ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः whose mind is established in knowledge? यज्ञाय for sacrifice? आचरतः acting? कर्म action? समग्रम् whole? प्रविलीयते is dissolved.Commentary One who is free from attachment? who is liberated from the bonds of Karma? whose mind is centred and rooted in wisdom? who performs actions for the sake of sacrifice? in order to please the Lord -- all his actions with their results melt away. His actions are reduced to nothing. They are? in fact? no actions at all.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
4.23 Of the liberated person who has got rid of attachment, whose mind is fixed in Knowledge, actions undertaken for a sacrifice get totally destroyed.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
4.23 He who is without attachment, free, his mind centered in wisdom, his actions, being done as a sacrifice, leave no trace behind.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 3.9 BG 9.27 BG 18.46 SB 11.3.47 SB 3.29.15 SB 11.29.9 CC Madhya 22.141 CC Madhya 19.170 CC Madhya 8.58 Īśa Upaniṣad 2 BRS 1.2.200
Concepts
Yajna
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Liberated and absorbed in transcendental knowledge, the work of one performed as sacrifice merges entirely into transcendence.
Practical Applications
  • Frame each significant work explicitly as yajña.
  • Cultivate transcendental knowledge alongside your action.
  • Let your work merge into Kṛṣṇa rather than accumulating around you.
Reflection Questions
  • Which work today is most easily framed as sacrifice?
  • Which is hardest, and why?
Analogy

An offering — clarified butter, grain, the priest's recitation — poured into the sacrificial fire. The substance is fully consumed by the yajña and rises as service to Viṣṇu; the offerer remains, still distinct, still serving. Pravilīyate is *this* dissolution — the karma melts into the fire of bhakti-yoga and leaves no residue, while the doer keeps his eternal identity for the next offering.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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