Chapter 4: Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga, verse 14
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥
Say itna māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā
iti māṁ yo ’bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate
Translation
Actions do not taint Me, nor do I have a desire for the fruit of actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by actions.
Swami Sivananda
Actions do not taint Me; for I have no hankering for the results of actions. One who knows Me thus, does not become bound by their actions.
Swami Gambirananda
Follows the commentary of Shankara (Advaita).
Works cannot contaminate Me. There is no desire for the fruits of actions in Me. He who understands this is not bound by actions.
Swami Adidevananda
Follows the commentary of Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita).
Actions do not stain me, nor do I have a desire for the fruits of them either. Whoever understands me in this way is not bound by their actions.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Follows the commentary of Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism).
My actions do not bind Me, nor do I desire anything that they can bring. He who thus realizes Me is not enslaved by action.
Shri Purohit Swami
मेरे द्वारा गुणों और कर्मोंके विभागपूर्वक चारों वर्णोंकी रचना की गयी है। उस-(सृष्टि-रचना आदि-) का कर्ता होनेपर भी मुझ अव्यय परमेश्वरको तू अकर्ता जान। कारण कि कर्मोंके फलमें मेरी स्पृहा नहीं है, इसलिये मुझे कर्म लिप्त नहीं करते। इस प्रकार जो मुझे तत्त्वसे जान लेता है, वह भी कर्मोंसे नहीं बँधता।
Swami Ramsukhdas
कर्म मुझे लिप्त नहीं करते; न मुझे कर्मफल में स्पृहा है। इस प्रकार मुझे जो जानता है, वह भी कर्मों से नहीं बन्धता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
Classical commentariesFor deeper study. Most are in the original Sanskrit.
Advaita
Non-dual: the self and the absolute are one.
Vishishtadvaita
Qualified non-dual: souls are real parts of the divine.
Dvaita
Dual: the soul and God are eternally distinct.
Shuddhadvaita
Pure non-dual, centred on grace and devotion.
Kashmir Shaivism
The Gita read through Trika Shaiva philosophy.
Modern teachers
20th-century teachers writing for today's readers.