Question 1
What distinction does Arjuna ask Krishna to clarify in verse 18.1? A The distinction between sannyasa, renunciation, and tyaga, relinquishment. B The distinction between sattvik food and rajasik food. C The distinction between Om, Tat, and Sat. D The distinction between the field and the knower of the field.
Arjuna opens the final chapter by asking for conceptual precision: what is sannyasa, what is tyaga, and how should they be understood separately?
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Question 2
How does Krishna define sannyasa and tyaga in verse 18.2? A Sannyasa is giving up desire-driven actions; tyaga is giving up attachment to the fruits of all actions. B Sannyasa is giving up scripture; tyaga is giving up faith in Yajna, tapas, and charity. C Sannyasa is doing every action for reward; tyaga is avoiding every difficult duty. D Sannyasa and tyaga both mean abandoning all action because embodied life can become actionless.
Krishna separates motive from outcome. Desire-driven actions are renounced, while the fruits of even necessary actions are relinquished.
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Question 3
What dispute about action does Krishna address in verses 18.3-18.4? A Some thinkers say action should be abandoned as defective, while others say Yajna, charity, and tapas should not be abandoned; Krishna then gives His own threefold teaching on tyaga. B Some thinkers say food should be abandoned, while others say only mantra should be abandoned. C Some thinkers say Om Tat Sat is false, while others say the gunas do not exist. D Some thinkers say Arjuna should never ask questions, while others say Krishna should stop teaching.
Krishna names the debate before resolving it. The issue is not whether spirituality is inactive, but which actions and attachments must be relinquished.
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Question 4
What is Krishna’s settled view about Yajna, charity, and tapas in verses 18.5-18.6? A They should not be abandoned because they purify the wise, but they must be performed without attachment and without craving their fruits. B They should be abandoned because all forms of disciplined action are spiritually harmful. C They should be performed only for honor, public recognition, and future reward. D They are useful only when done without scripture, faith, or inner sincerity.
Krishna preserves purifying duties while removing attachment. The problem is not worship, giving, or discipline; the problem is egoic clinging to them.
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Question 5
What kind of renunciation is called tamasik in verse 18.7? A Giving up obligatory duty because of delusion or misunderstanding. B Doing one’s duty without attachment to fruit. C Continuing Yajna, charity, and tapas as purifying practices. D Letting go of selfish desire while remaining active in Dharma.
Tamasik tyaga mistakes escape for spirituality. Krishna rejects abandoning required duty out of confusion.
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Question 6
What kind of renunciation is called rajasik in verse 18.8? A Giving up action because it is difficult or because one fears bodily discomfort. B Performing duty simply because it ought to be done. C Giving up the fruits of action while continuing necessary work. D Remaining free from hatred toward unpleasant work and attachment to pleasant work.
Rajasik tyaga is driven by self-concern and discomfort avoidance. Krishna says it does not yield the real fruit of renunciation.
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Question 7
How do verses 18.9-18.10 describe sattvik tyaga? A One performs obligatory duty because it ought to be done, gives up attachment and fruit, and neither hates unpleasant work nor clings to pleasant work. B One avoids all duties that are uncomfortable and chooses only pleasant tasks. C One abandons all worship, charity, and discipline because they require effort. D One performs duty only when it guarantees reward, praise, and personal advantage.
Sattvik renunciation is steady duty without inner bargaining. It acts from clarity, not from preference, fear, or desire for outcome.
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Question 8
Why does Krishna say giving up fruits is the real renunciation for embodied beings in verses 18.11-18.12? A Because embodied beings cannot entirely give up action; those who cling to fruits receive good, bad, or mixed results, while true renouncers are free from that bondage. B Because embodied beings can stop all action forever by refusing every duty. C Because karmic fruits matter only when actions are unpleasant, not when they are pleasant. D Because giving up fruits means giving up responsibility for how one acts.
Krishna’s realism is central here: life in a body involves action. Freedom comes by acting rightly without ownership of the fruit.
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