Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 5

यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् | यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ||

yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat yajño dānaṁ tapaś caiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām

Actions of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be renounced; they must be performed. Sacrifice, charity, and austerity are purifying for the wise.

Krishna gives his definitive teaching on what should not be renounced. 'Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam'—actions of sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna), and austerity (tapaḥ) should not be renounced. 'Kāryam eva tat'—they must be performed. These are prescribed duties (dharma), not optional. Then he explains why: 'yajño dānaṁ tapaś caiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām'—sacrifice, charity, and austerity are purifying for the wise. They're not just actions—they're purifying practices that help you grow. This is the key teaching: prescribed duties (yajña, dāna, tapaḥ) should not be renounced because they're part of dharma and they purify. You don't renounce duty—you perform it with detachment. This clarifies the confusion from verse 3: some say renounce all, but Krishna says don't renounce these beneficial actions. They're essential for spiritual growth.