Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 5 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 18 श्लोक 5 यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत्। यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम्।।18.5।। English Translation - Swami Gambirananda 18.5 The practice of sacrifice, charity and austerity is not to be abandoned; it is surely to be undertaken. Sacrifice, charity and austerity are verily the purifiers of the wise. English Translation - Swami Sivananda 18.5 Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed; sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise. English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 18.5. The actions of [Vedic] sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be relinished and they must necessarily be performed; for the men of wisdom the [Vedic sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the means of purification. English Commentary - Swami Sivananda 18.5 यज्ञदानतपःकर्म acts of sacrifice? gift and austerity? न not? त्याज्यम् should be abandoned? कार्यम् should be performed? एव indeed? तत् that? यज्ञः sacrifice? दानम् gift? तपः austerity? च and? एव indeed? पावनानि purifiers? मनीषिणाम् of the wise.Commentary Acts of sacrifice? gift and austerity purify the hearts of those who have no desire for rewards. These actions are considered obligatory and ought to be performed. Actions that are skilfully performed lose their power to bind the soul and free it from earthly bondage.Now? O Arjuna? I will explain to thee that skilful way by which actions can destroye their own effect. English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 18.5 Yajna-dana-tapah-karma, the practice of sacrifice, charity and austerity-this threefold practice; na tyajyam, is not to be abandoned; tat, it; is eva, surely; karyam, to be undertaken. Why? Yajnah, sacrifice; danam, charity; and tapah, austerity; are eva, verily; pavanani, the purifiers, the causes of sanctification; manisinam, of the wise, i.e. of those who do not seek results for themselves. English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 18.5 See Comment under 18.11 English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary 18.5 Acts such as sacrifices, gifts, austerities etc., enjoined in the Vedas should not be relinished by the aspirant for release, but should be performed day after day until his death. Why? Acts like sacrifices, gifts and austerities associated with the different stations of life, are the means of purification for the wise., i.e., for those given to contemplation. Contemplation is worship. For the aspirants who perform such worship (Upasana) throughout their lives, they (sacrifices etc.) are a help to erase the previous Karmas which stand in the way of the fulfilment of such worship. Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji According to the Lord, even among kamya karmas, those sacrifices, charities and austerities, which are sattvika in nature, without desire for results, should be performed. This is explained in this verse. Sacrifice, austerity and charity must be done, because they cause purification of the consciousness. Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The absolute conclusion is being prepared by Lord Krishna in this verse and the next beginning with: To the manisinam or wise who are discriminative, prescribed Vedic activities are products of sattva guna the mode of goodness and are sanctifying and lead to purification of the mind. Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary There is no commentary for this verse. Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Lord Krishna emphasises that never under any circumstances are prescribed Vedic activities such as yagna or ritualistic propitiation and worship, tapah or penance and austerities and danam or charity to the Vaisnavas and brahmanas ever to be abdicated. They must be continuously performed all through the life some daily and others occasionally up until the moment of death. The reason for this is that prescribed Vedic activities situated purely in sattva guna or mode of goodness duly purify the performer and all involved especially those in varna asrama or the natural four divisions of society which are Vaisnava and Brahmin the spiritual class, ksatriya or royal and warrior class, vaisya or agricultural and commerce class and sudra the worker class. They also upgrade the general consciousness of the world in general. The performance of prescribed Vedic activities dissolves all impurities and eradicates the karmas or reactions to actions from past activities. The word manisinam means the wise, the conscientious, those whose consciousness is evolved in a spiritual sense. Such aspirants reflecting upon spiritual attainment throughout their lives are naturally in communion with the Supreme Lord at the moment of death. Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Lord Krishna emphasises that never under any circumstances are prescribed Vedic activities such as yagna or ritualistic propitiation and worship, tapah or penance and austerities and danam or charity to the Vaisnavas and brahmanas ever to be abdicated. They must be continuously performed all through the life some daily and others occasionally up until the moment of death. The reason for this is that prescribed Vedic activities situated purely in sattva guna or mode of goodness duly purify the performer and all involved especially those in varna asrama or the natural four divisions of society which are Vaisnava and Brahmin the spiritual class, ksatriya or royal and warrior class, vaisya or agricultural and commerce class and sudra the worker class. They also upgrade the general consciousness of the world in general. The performance of prescribed Vedic activities dissolves all impurities and eradicates the karmas or reactions to actions from past activities. The word manisinam means the wise, the conscientious, those whose consciousness is evolved in a spiritual sense. Such aspirants reflecting upon spiritual attainment throughout their lives are naturally in communion with the Supreme Lord at the moment of death. Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 18.5Yajnadaanatapah karma na tyaajyam kaaryameva tat; Yajno daanam tapashchaiva paavanaani maneeshinaam. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 18.5yajña—sacrifice; dāna—charity; tapaḥ—penance; karma—actions; na—never; tyājyam—should be abandoned; kāryam eva—must certainly be performed; tat—that; yajñaḥ—sacrifice; dānam—charity; tapaḥ—penance; cha—and; eva—indeed; pāvanāni—purifying; manīṣhiṇām—for the wise