bhagavad-gitagitakrishnakarma-sannyasa-yoga

Bhagavad Gita 5.8 — Naiva Kinchit Karomiti

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ५.८ — नैव किंचित्करोमीति

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Morning meditation or while contemplating the witness-nature of the Self during activity·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 8

Also known as: naiva kinchit karomiti · naiva kinchit karomiti yukto manyeta tattva-vit · bhagavad gita 5.8 · gita 5 8 · i do nothing at all gita verse · non-doership gita

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

In this verse of the Karma-Sannyasa Yoga chapter, Krishna describes the inner outlook of the enlightened sage. Even while fully engaged in all natural activities — seeing, hearing, eating, moving, sleeping — the knower of truth understands that he himself, the pure Self, is not the doer; it is the senses operating among their objects. Resting in this awareness of non-doership, he remains untouched and free amid all action. (The thought continues into verse 5.9.)

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 8 · Sage Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (text compiled c. 5th–2nd century BCE)

In the fifth chapter, Karma-Sannyasa Yoga, Krishna reconciles renunciation with action by revealing the inner vision of the liberated sage. Verses 5.8 and 5.9 describe how such a one, though performing every bodily function, remains convinced that the senses alone move among their objects and that the Self does nothing — and so acts in the world without being bound by it.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages of the Self-realization tradition have pointed to this verse as the secret of acting in the world while remaining inwardly free, and seekers recount that holding the awareness 'I am not the doer' through daily activity quieted the restless ego and revealed an abiding stillness untouched by any deed.

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The Mantra

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नैव किंचित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित्। पश्यन् श्रृणवन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपन् श्वसन्॥

naiva kiñchit karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vit paśhyañ śhṛiṇvan spṛiśhañ jighrann aśhnan gachchhan svapañ śhvasan

Meaning:The knower of truth, established in yoga, thinks "I do nothing at all" — even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping and breathing — knowing that it is the senses that move among their objects.

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

न एव🔊na evanot at all, certainly not

किंचित्🔊kiñchitanything

करोमि🔊karomiI do

इति🔊itithus

युक्तः🔊yuktaḥone who is steadfast in yoga, the united one

मन्येत🔊manyetathinks, should think

तत्त्व-वित्🔊tattva-vitthe knower of truth

पश्यन्🔊paśhyanseeing

श्रृण्वन्🔊śhṛiṇvanhearing

स्पृशन्🔊spṛiśhantouching

जिघ्रन्🔊jighransmelling

अश्नन्🔊aśhnaneating

गच्छन्🔊gachchhanmoving, going

स्वपन्🔊svapansleeping

श्वसन्🔊śhvasanbreathing

Benefits of Chanting Bhagavad Gita 5.8 — Naiva Kinchit Karomiti

✦

Reveals the sage's vision of non-doership (akartritva) amid all activity

✦

Frees the mind from the ego's sense of 'I am the doer'

✦

Brings peace and detachment while remaining fully active in the world

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Deepens understanding of the Self as the witness beyond the senses

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Dissolves the bondage of action by shifting identity to the pure Self

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Supports the practice of karma yoga and self-inquiry together

How to Chant Bhagavad Gita 5.8 — Naiva Kinchit Karomiti

Repetitions11times

Best TimeMorning meditation or while contemplating the witness-nature of the Self during activity

Recite this verse slowly, reflecting on how all the body's functions occur naturally while the true Self remains the silent witness. Through the day, gently recall the attitude 'the senses act among their objects; I, the Self, am not the doer.' Practised steadily, this contemplation loosens the ego's grip and brings a serene detachment within all action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Krishna teaches that the enlightened knower of truth, though engaged in all the natural activities of life, inwardly knows 'I do nothing at all.' He realizes that the pure Self is not the doer; it is merely the senses interacting with their objects, while he remains the detached witness.

It does not mean physical inactivity. The sage continues to see, hear, eat and move, but identifies with the changeless Self rather than the body-mind. Understanding that nature and the senses perform all action, he is free of the ego's false sense of doership.

Verses 5.8 and 5.9 form one continuous statement. Verse 5.8 lists seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping and breathing; verse 5.9 continues with speaking, releasing, grasping, opening and closing the eyes — all done with the firm conviction that the senses move among sense-objects, not the Self.

While performing your duties, cultivate the awareness that the body and senses are acting naturally, while you, the witnessing Self, remain calm and uninvolved. This attitude of non-doership reduces stress, pride and anxiety, allowing you to act efficiently yet remain inwardly free.