Give up Hatred, Not Action

November 2, 2026

Due to ignorance, a person persists in grasping material possessions, which leads to karmic bondage. When the first ray of awareness dawns, one begins to think about renunciation, as Arjuna is attempting here. The confusion lies in what to renounce. The general tendency is to renounce all actions or deeds, because we always classify them as good or bad with our divisive mind and want to abandon the undesirable karmas. On the other hand, Sri Krishna presents a different view of renunciation, saying, “He who neither hates nor desires anything is worthy of being considered a Karmayogi, a Nitya Sannyasi, for a man free from the dualities of attachment and aversion, happily becomes free from worldly bondage” (5.3). The first thing we must renounce is hatred. This can be towards anything that goes against our beliefs, such as religion, caste, or nationality. Hatred can be towards our profession, people, or things around us. It is important to see unity in contradictions. A Nitya Sannyasi renounces hatred as well as desires. Sri Krishna advises us to abandon tendencies like hatred and desires. The truth is that there is no true renunciation of actions because we abandon one action and then engage in another under the influence of our qualities. Therefore, we must abandon the divisions within us rather than our external actions. Sri Krishna further says, “The supreme abode attained by jnana yogis is also attained by karma yogis. Therefore, he who sees jnana yoga and karma yoga as fruitful, sees the truth” (5.5). Renunciation of doership in all actions performed without karma yoga, i.e., those performed by the mind, senses, and body, is difficult to attain. However, the karma yogi who contemplates the Supreme Being quickly attains the Supreme Brahman (5.6). Karma is a tool that helps us determine how much we are filled with hatred or desire. Therefore, Lord Krishna encourages us to perform selfless actions rather than simply abandoning them.