English Translation of Chapter 18 without Verses 
।18.1।   Arjuna said O mighty-armed Hrsikesa, O slayer of Kesi, I want to know the truth about different nature of renunciation and relinquishment.

।18.2।   Shri Krishna replied: The learned ones say that renunciation means forgoing an action which springs from desire; and relinquishing means the surrender of its fruit.

।18.3।   Some philosophers say that all action is evil and should be abandoned. Others say that acts of sacrifice, benevolence and austerity should not be given up.

।18.4।   O Arjuna, Hear from Me the final truth about this abandonment, it has been declared to be of three kinds.

।18.5।   Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed as a duty; sacrifice, gift and austerity purifies the wise.

।18.6।   O Arjuna, these actions have to be undertaken as a duty by renouncing attachment and results. This is My firm and best conclusion.

।18.7।   The abandoning of daily obligatory acts is not right. Giving up that through delusion is based on ignorance.

।18.8।   To avoid an action due to fear of physical suffering,because it is likely to be painful, is to act from passion, and the benefit of renunciation will not accrue.

।18.9।   O Arjuna, Whatever obligatory action is done, merely because it ought to be done, abandoning attachment and also the desire for fruits, that renunciation is regarded in the mode of goodness.

।18.10।   Neither hateful of inauspicious work nor attached to auspicious work, The intelligent, doubtless, renouncer is situated in the mode of goodness.

।18.11।   As it is not possible for an embodied being to abandon actions entirely; but he who relinquishes the fruits of actions is called a man of renunciation.

।18.12।   For one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action—desirable, undesirable and mixed—accrue after death. But those who are in the renounced the fruits of their work have no such results.

।18.13।   O Arjuna, I will tell you, the five causes which, according to the Sankhya philosophy, must concur for the accomplishment of all actions.

।18.14।   The place of action (the body), the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and presiding deity are the five factors of action.

।18.15।   Whatever just or unjust action a man performs with the body, speech and mind, these five are the cuases for it.

।18.16।   Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, is of perverted intelligence and cannot percieve the things as they are.

।18.17।   He who has no false ego, and whose intellect is unalloyed by attachment, even though he kill these people, yet he does not kill them, and his act does not bind him

।18.18।   Knowledge, the object the knowledge and the knower-this is the threefold inducement to action, and the act, the actor and the instrument are the threefold constituents of action.

।18.19।   The books which describe different qualities also describe three types of knowledge, action and actor; listen to these duly.

।18.20।   That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all living entities, though they are divided into innumerable forms, you should understand to be in the mode of goodness.

।18.21।   That knowledge by which one sees that in every different body there is a different type of living entity you should understand to be in the mode of passion.

।18.22।   But that which clings one work as if it were all, without logic, truth, and is insignificant, that has its origin in Darkness.

।18.23।   The daily obligatory action which is performed without attachment and without likes or dislikes by one who does not hanker for rewards, that is said to be born in the mode of goodness.

।18.24।   But action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires, and enacted from a sense of false ego, is called action in the mode of passion.

।18.25।   That action which is undertaken from delusion, without a regard for the consequences, loss, injury and one's own ability that is declared to be in the mode of darkness

।18.26।   The agent who is free from attachment, does not make any speech of egoism, full of contentment and enthusiasm, and does not change in success or failure-that agent is said to be of the mode of goodness.

।18.27।   The worker who is attached to work and the fruits of work, and who is greedy, violent, impure, and moved by joy and sorrow, is said to be in the mode of passion.

।18.28|   The agent who likes to do the undesirable works, naive, unbending, stubborn, wicked, lazy, morose and postponing the duties for long, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

|18.29।   O Arjuna, listen to the classification of the intellect and fortitude, which is threefold according to the qulaities, while I elaborate it fully in a different manner.

।18.30।   O Arjuna, The intellect which knows the path of work and renunciation, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation that intellect is pure.

।18.31।   O Arjuna, that understanding which cannot distinguish between religion and irreligion, between action that should be done and action that should not be done, is in the mode of passion.

।18.32।   O Arjuna, that intellect is born of ignorance mode, which being covered by darkness, considers vice as virtue, and perceives all things contrary to what they are.

।18.33।   O Arjuna, that determination which is unbreakable and steadfast by yoga practice, and controls the activities of the mind, life and senses is determination in the mode of goodness

।18.34।   O Arjuna, But that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive results of bounden duty, wealth and sense gratification is of the nature of passion.

।18.35।   O Arjuna, And that firmness which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness,lamentation, moroseness and illusion—such unintelligent determination, is in the mode of darkness.

।18.36।   O Arjuna, And now hear from Me the threefold pleasure, in which one rejoices by practice and comes to the end of pain.

।18.37।   That which is like poison in the beginning, but nectar in the end, and arises from the purity of one's intellect-that joy is spoken of as born in the mode of goodness

।18.38।   That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to be in the mode of passion.

।18.39।   And that happiness which is deluding the Self from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

।18.40।   There is no such entity in the world, in the heaven, among the demi-gods, which can be free from these three gunas born of Nature.

।18.41।   O Arjuna! The duties of spiritual teachers, the soldiers, the traders and the servants have all been divided according to the qualities in their nature.

।18.42।   Serenity, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness—these are the natural qualities by which the Brahmanas work.

।18.43।   Heroism, power, determination, excelling in his skills, not retreating from battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the kshatriyas.

।18.44।   Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaishyas,and for the shudras it is service to others.

।18.45।   Being devoted to his own duty, man attains complete success. Hear that as to how one devoted to his own duty achieves success.

।18.46।   By worshipping him, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, a man can attain perfection by performing his own work.

।18.47।   It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though done imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.

।18.48।   O Arjuna, One should not give up the nature-born duty, even if it appears to be defective. All acts are marred by defects, as fire is covered by smoke.

।18.49।   One who is self-controlled and unattached and who disregards all material enjoyments, by practice of renunciation, obtains the perfect stage where one does not leaves any seeds of reaction.

।18.50।   O Arjuna, How one who has achieved this perfection can attain to the supreme Brahman, the state of highest knowledge; I shall now summarize.

।18.51।   Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self by firmness, relinquishing sense-gratifying objects and abandoning desire and hatred.

।18.52।   One who resorts to solitude, eats sparingly, has speech, body and mind under control, always engaged in meditation, possessed with the spirit of renunciation.

।18.53।   When one becomes free from false ego, false strength, pride, lust, anger, free from collection of material things, free from false possession, and peaceful—such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.

।18.54।   One who realizes the Supreme Brahman and with a joyful mind, never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity and attains pure devotional service unto Me.

।18.55।   Through devotion he knows Me in reality, as to what and who I am. Then, having known Me in truth, he enters into Me immediately after that.

।18.56।   Though engaged in all kinds of activities, My pure devotee, taking refuge in me, reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.

।18.57।   Mentally surrendering all actions to Me and accepting Me as the supreme, have your mind ever fixed on Me, concentrate your intellect on Me.

।18.58।   Having your mind fixed on Me, you will cross over all difficulties through My grace. If you do not listen due to our ego, you will perish.

।18.59।   If due to your ego, you think that you will not fight, then your resolve is useless because the nature will compel you to fight.

।18.60।   O Arjuna, You are bound by your nature and duty. Even if you don't want to do some work due to delusion, you will be compelled to do the same.

।18.61।   The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, as seated on a machine, by his mystic illusive power.

।18.62।   O Arjuna, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.

।18.63।   Thus I have explained to you knowledge which is even more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.

।18.64।   Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.

।18.65।   Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

।18.66।   Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions, grieve not.

।18.67।   This is never to be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerities or devotion, nor to one who does not render service and nor to one who sees fault in Me.

।18.68।   He who, entertaining supreme devotion to Me, will speak of this highest secret, to My devotees will without doubt reach Me alone.

।18.69।   There is no one in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear on this planet.

।18.70।   And I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation of ours worships Me by his intelligence at the altar of wisdom.

।18.71।   Also the man who hears this, full of faith and free from malice, will be liberated, and shall attain to the pious worlds of those of righteous deeds.

।18.72।   O Arjuna, has this been listened to by you with a one-pointed mind, O Arjuna, has your delusion caused by ignorance been destroyed.

।18.73।   Arjuna said O Achyuta, my delusion has been destroyed and truth has been regained by me through Your grace. I stand with my doubt removed; I shall follow Your instruction.

।18.74।   Sanjaya said: Thus I have heard this wonderful and thrilling dailogue of Vasudeva and the great Arjuna.

।18.75।   Through the grace of Vyasa I have heard this supreme and secret Yoga direct from Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, Himself declaring it.

।18.76।   O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled again and again.

।18.77।   O King, as I remember the wonderful form of Lord Krishna, I am struck with wonder more and more, and I rejoice again and again.

।18.78।   Wherever there is Krishna, the master of Yoga, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, fortune, and firm policy. That is my opinion.