Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 12 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 18 श्लोक 12 अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम्। भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित्।।18.12।। English Translation - Swami Sivananda 18.12 The threefold fruit of action (evil, good and mixed) accrues after death to the non-abandoners, but never to the abandoners. English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 18.12 These trividham, threefold-of three kinds; phalam, results; karmanah, of actions characterized as the righteous and the unritheous; anistam, the undesirable, consisting in (birth in) hell, (among) animals, etc.; istam, the desirable, consisting in (birth as) gods and others; and misram, the mixed, having a mixture of the desirable and the undesirable, consisting in (birht as) human beings;-these results that are of these kinds, bhavati, accrues; pretya, after death, after the fall of the body; atyaginam, to those who do not resort to renunciation, to the unilllumined, the men with rites and duties, who are not men of renunciation in the truest sense. The derivative sense of the word phala (pha-la) is this: On accunt of being accomplished through the operation of diverse external accessories, and a result of ignorance, comparable to the charm cast by jugglery, a source of great delusion and appearing as though close to the indwelling Self, it is phalgu (unsubstantial), and as a conseence it undergoes layam (disappearance). (The result that is of this kind accrues to those who do not resort to renunciation). Tu, but; na kvacit, never; sannyasinam, to those who resort tomonasticism for the sake of the highest Reality, to the class of monks called paramahamsas who remain steadfast in Knowledge alone. For, it cannot be that those who are devoted wholly to steadfastness in complete enlightenment do not dig out the seed of transmigration. This is the meaning. Therefore it is only for those who have realized the supreme Truth that it is possible to become a monk who renounces actions totally, because action, accessories and results are superimmpositions on the Self through ignorance. But the renunciation of all actions is not possible for an unenlightened person who perceives the locus (the body etc.), action, agentship and accessories as the Self. This the Lord shows in the following verses: Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 18.12Anishtamishtam mishram cha trividham karmanah phalam; Bhavatyatyaaginaam pretya na tu sannyaasinaam kwachit. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 18.12aniṣhṭam—unpleasant; iṣhṭam—pleasant; miśhram—mixed; cha—and; tri-vidham—three-fold; karmaṇaḥ phalam—fruits of actions; bhavati—accrue; atyāginām—to those who are attached to persona reward; pretya—after death; na—not; tu—but; sanyāsinām—for the renouncers of actions; kvachit—ever