एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च ।कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ॥
etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalāni ca |kartavyānīti me pārtha niścitaṃ matam uttamam ||
- एतानि · etāni
- these
- अपि · api
- even, also
- तु · tu
- but
- कर्माणि · karmāṇi
- actions
- सङ्गम् · saṅgam
- attachment
- त्यक्त्वा · tyaktvā
- having abandoned
- फलानि · phalāni
- fruits, results
- कर्तव्यानीति · kartavyānīti
- should be performed — thus
- मे · me
- my
- पार्थ · pārtha
- O Partha
- निश्चितम् · niścitam
- settled, certain
- मतम् · matam
- view, judgment
- उत्तमम् · uttamam
- highest, supreme
“But even these actions should be performed after giving up attachment and their fruits — this, O Partha, is my settled and highest judgment.”
— Original plain-language translation
The synthesis of the whole Gita in one line: keep acting, drop clinging. Even sacred acts can bind if done for pride or reward, so the inner renunciation matters more than the outer abandonment. Krishna marks this as his definitive view — the reader should treat it as the chapter's thesis.
— Reader's notes (original)