Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Shloka 10
Moksha Sannyasa Yoga
न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते । त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः ॥ १८.१० ॥
na dveṣṭy akuśalaṃ karma kuśale nānuṣajjate | tyāgī sattva-samāviṣṭo medhāvī chinna-saṃśayaḥ || 18.10 ||
He who neither hates unwholesome action nor clings to wholesome action—such a renouncer, pervaded by sattva, wise, and with doubts cut asunder.
वह त्यागी सात्त्विक भाव से युक्त, बुद्धिमान और संशयरहित होता है, जो अशुभ कर्म से द्वेष नहीं करता और शुभ कर्म में आसक्त नहीं होता।
The renouncer, permeated by sattva—intelligent and with doubts cut off—does not hate an unskillful action, nor does he cling to a skillful one.
Some traditional readings take ‘akuśala’/‘kuśala’ as ‘inauspicious/auspicious’ or ‘bad/good’; academically, they can be ‘unskillful/skillful’ (ethically and pragmatically). The point remains: non-aversion and non-attachment.
FAQs
It describes emotional regulation: one can correct or avoid harmful actions without self-hatred or reactive disgust, and perform good actions without egoic dependence on them.
Freedom is linked to reducing binding emotions (attachment/aversion). Sattva enables lucid engagement without the ‘stickiness’ that generates further bondage.
The verse clarifies the inner marks of sattvic renunciation (18.9) by describing the renouncer’s stance toward ethically negative and positive actions.
When making ethical improvements, avoid moral perfectionism: acknowledge mistakes without aversion, and do good consistently without craving validation.