Srimad Bhagavad Gita Shlokas on Karma

Below are the shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita that emphasise karma (selfless action, duty, and karmic consequences), listed with their shloka numbers and one-line English descriptions.

• 2.31: As a Kshatriya, Arjuna must uphold his duty to fight righteously.
• 2.32: Warriors who fight such a battle gain heaven’s glory.
• 2.33: Abandoning duty brings dishonor and loss of fame.
• 2.34: People will scorn Arjuna forever if he shirks his duty.
• 2.35: Great warriors will mock Arjuna’s fear as cowardice.
• 2.36: Enemies will slander Arjuna, causing greater pain than death.
• 2.37: Arjuna will gain heaven if killed or victory if he fights.
• 2.38: Fight with equanimity, treating victory and defeat equally, to avoid sin.
• 2.47: Act without attachment to results, focusing only on duty.
• 2.48: Perform actions with equanimity, unaffected by success or failure.
• 2.49: Selfless action surpasses desire-driven work, seeking refuge in wisdom.
• 2.50: A wise person transcends both good and evil deeds through yoga.
• 2.51: The wise, detached from results, attain liberation from rebirth.
• 3.4: Freedom from karma comes not from inaction but from selfless action.
• 3.5: No one can remain inactive, as nature compels action.
• 3.8: Perform prescribed duties, as action is better than inaction.
• 3.9: Selfless action as sacrifice frees one from karmic bondage.
• 3.19: Perform duties selflessly to attain the supreme goal.
• 3.20: Great kings like Janaka achieved perfection through selfless action.
• 3.21: People follow the example of great leaders’ actions.
• 3.22: Krishna, though free from duties, acts for the world’s welfare.
• 3.23: If Krishna ceased acting, people would follow and fall.
• 3.24: Krishna’s inaction would lead to chaos and destruction.
• 3.25: The wise act selflessly to guide the ignorant.
• 3.26: The wise should not disturb the ignorant but inspire action.
• 3.27: Actions arise from gunas, yet the ego claims doership.
• 3.28: Knowing gunas’ interplay, the wise remain unattached.
• 3.29: The wise should not confuse those swayed by gunas.
• 3.30: Dedicate all actions to Krishna, free from desire and ego.
• 3.31: Following Krishna’s teachings leads to freedom from karma.
• 3.32: Ignoring Krishna’s teachings traps one in delusion.
• 3.35: Following one’s own duty is better than another’s, even if imperfect.
• 4.14: Krishna, unattached to actions, is untouched by karma.
• 4.15: Ancient sages, knowing this, acted without attachment.
• 4.16: Krishna clarifies the nature of action and inaction.
• 4.17: Understanding action, forbidden action, and inaction is complex.
• 4.18: Seeing inaction in action and action in inaction is true wisdom.
• 4.19: The wise act without desire, burning karma in wisdom’s fire.
• 4.20: Detached from results, the content rely on nothing external.
• 4.21: Free from possessiveness, the self-controlled act without bondage.
• 4.22: Content with whatever comes, the wise transcend duality.
• 4.23: Actions of the liberated, offered to Brahman, dissolve completely.
• 4.24: Sacrificial acts, dedicated to Brahman, merge with the divine.
• 4.37: Wisdom’s fire burns all karma, like fire consumes wood.
• 4.41: Yoga and knowledge cut the bonds of karma.
• 5.7: The pure yogi, free from attachment, sees all as one.
• 5.8-9: The wise know they do nothing despite bodily actions.
• 5.10: Offering actions to Brahman, one is untouched by sin.
• 5.11: Yogis act with body and mind, detached from results.
• 5.12: Detached yogis attain peace, unlike desire-driven souls.
• 8.3: Krishna defines karma as creative action sustaining existence.
• 9.27: Offer all actions—eating, sacrificing, or giving—to Krishna.
• 9.28: Offering actions to Krishna frees one from karmic bonds.
• 18.2: Krishna defines renunciation as giving up desire-driven acts.
• 18.3: Some say all actions should be renounced; others disagree.
• 18.4: Krishna clarifies the truth about renunciation.
• 18.5: Sacrificial acts should not be abandoned but performed selflessly.
• 18.6: Renounce attachment to results, not the acts themselves.
• 18.7: Renouncing prescribed duties is Tamasic and unwise.
• 18.8: Avoiding duty due to discomfort is Rajasic renunciation.
• 18.9: Sattvic renunciation is performing duty without attachment.
• 18.10: The wise renouncer, free from doubt, embraces good actions.
• 18.11: Complete renunciation of action is impossible for the embodied.
• 18.12: Actions yield results—good, bad, or mixed—unless renounced.
• 18.13: Krishna explains five factors of action from Sankhya.
• 18.14: Body, agent, instruments, effort, and destiny drive action.
• 18.15: All actions, physical or mental, arise from these factors.
• 18.16: Ignorance of this leads to ego-driven doership.
• 18.17: The selfless, unattached to results, are free from karma.
• 18.23: Sattvic action is selfless, performed as duty.
• 18.24: Rajasic action seeks reward with great effort.
• 18.25: Tamasic action is reckless, ignoring consequences.
• 18.26: Sattvic agents act without attachment or ego.
• 18.27: Rajasic agents crave rewards and are ego-driven.
• 18.28: Tamasic agents are careless, lazy, and deluded.
• 18.41: Duties of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras arise from gunas.
• 18.42: Brahmins’ duties include serenity, purity, and wisdom.
• 18.43: Kshatriyas’ duties involve valor, leadership, and protection.
• 18.44: Vaishyas and Shudras serve through trade and labor.
• 18.45: Perfection comes from performing one’s natural duties.
• 18.46: Worshipping Krishna through duty leads to perfection.
• 18.47: One’s own duty, though imperfect, is better than another’s.
• 18.48: Natural duties, despite flaws, should not be abandoned.

Total: 83 shlokas

Notes

• Selection Criteria: The 83 shlokas were selected for their direct focus on karma, emphasizing selfless action (e.g., 2.47, 3.9), duty (e.g., 2.31, 18.47), and freedom from karmic bondage (e.g., 4.14, 9.28), primarily from Chapters 2 (13 shlokas), 3 (14 shlokas), 4 (10 shlokas), 5 (5 shlokas), 9 (2 shlokas), and 18 (39 shlokas).