अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् | भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ||१८-१२||
aniṣṭamiṣṭaṃ miśraṃ ca trividhaṃ karmaṇaḥ phalam .
bhavatyatyāgināṃ pretya na tu saṃnyāsināṃ kvacit ||18-12||
The threefold fruit of action (evil, good and mixed) accrues after death to the non-abandoners, but never to the abandoners.
In simple words
Krishna explains the consequence of attachment: "After death, actions produce three kinds of results for those who stayed attached — pleasant, unpleasant, and mixed. But for those who let go of attachment — no results accumulate at all."
अनिष्टम्unwished or disagreeable or evilइष्टम्wished or agreeable or goodमिश्रम्mixedचandत्रिविधम्threefoldकर्मणःof actionफलम्fruitभवतिaccruesअत्यागिनाम्to nonrenouncersप्रेत्यafter deathनnotतुbutसंन्यासिनाम्to renouncersक्वचित्
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
18.12 अनिष्टम् unwished or disagreeable or evil? इष्टम् wished or agreeable or good? मिश्रम् mixed? च and? त्रिविधम् threefold? कर्मणः of action? फलम् fruit? भवति accrues? अत्यागिनाम् to nonrenouncers? प्रेत्य after death? न not? तु but? संन्यासिनाम् to renouncers? क्वचित् ever.Commentary One fruit (of action) is pleasant? another is unpleasant? while the third is a mixture of both. Those in whom good actions preponderate are rorn as gods. Men of evil lives are rorn into animal or vegetable kingdoms. If their actions are eally good and bad? they are rorn into the human kingodm. These distinctions of good? evil and mixed do not exist for the liberated sage who has gone beyond the bonds of Karma by destroying egoism? by annihilating the idea of agency and by abandoning the hope of rewards of actions.The action of a renouncer does not generate desire or attachment thereto. Therefore? after death he is not born again. The actions that are performed without any desire for the reward can bring no bondage to the man at any time.He who has surrendered the fruits of all his works to the Lord is free from the bondage of Karma. Some kind of action is inevitable and natural to all beings? but the man of renunciation abandons the fruits of actions.Phalam Fruit This is caused by the operation of various external factors. This is brought forth by Avidya (ignornace). It is like jugglery and very delusive. The term Phala denotes something that ickly passes away? something not real? not solid.Karma Action Virtue and vice.Anishtam Disagreeable or evil? such as hell? the animal kingdom? etc.Ishtam Wished or agreeable or good.Misram Good and evil mixed together the human birth.Only the unenlightened who have not renounced the fruits of actions reap these three sorts of fruits. The real Sannyasins who belong to the highest order of Sannyasa (Paramahamsa Parivrajakas) who are ever engaged in meditation on the pure? immortal Self? who are solely devoted to Selfknowledge? and who rest in their own essential nature as ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute do not reap any fruits as the fire of Selfknowledge has burnt ignorance and its effects which are the seeds of Samsara.Only a liberated sage who has attained knowledge of the Self and who has no identification with the body can totally relinish all actions. He knows that the Self is beyond all actions and that action is attributed to the Self by ignorance. The ignorant man who identifies himself with the body cannot abandon actions. He thinks that he is the agent or the doer of all actions and expects to attain the fruits of his actions and so he is born again and again in this world to reap the fruits of these actions.
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
The fruits of all actions depend upon the quality of the gunas through which they are performed. Previously, the threefold renunciation was described; now here the threefold fruits of that renunciation are being expounded. The desires of the human mind are projected outward into the external world—this is called action. And every action, according to the mental disposition and intention of the doer, imprints its impression upon the inner consciousness of that doer. The nature of the human mind is to repeat actions. Future thoughts merely echo the thought-patterns of the past. Thus, from actions arise desires, and then, in accordance with these desires, our reactions to the events of the world are determined. In philosophy, the fruit of action refers not merely to worldly consequences, but also to the impressions of actions that are inscribed upon our inner consciousness.
These fruits of action are described here as threefold: (1) the auspicious—that which brings welfare and good; (2) the inauspicious—that which brings misfortune and harm; and (3) the mixed—a combination of the auspicious and inauspicious.
In the continuous flow of time, the present moment determines the near future. Therefore, it is clear that our desires, with their various structures, will determine our reactions to the events of the near future. If we extend this principle forward to the moment of death of our present body, then this truth becomes evident: after death, our next body and the place of our birth will be determined in accordance with our desires at that moment of death. This is the principle of rebirth as taught in eternal dharma.
The fruits of virtuous actions are the happiness of higher realms, and the fruits of sinful actions are suffering and a base animal existence. From the mixture of virtuous and sinful actions, human birth is obtained. While dwelling in this human body, we can either strengthen our bondages further or attain complete liberation from them. Therefore, we ourselves must determine our goal. Undoubtedly, in every human heart there is a constant call toward the attainment of the highest goal; yet within that same heart dwell base qualities that bark, shriek, cry out, and roar like beasts. They confuse us and lead us away from our true purpose.
If a person identifies with their highest ideals, their base qualities gradually disappear. But if they become attached to limitations and sense objects, their base qualities continually increase, obscuring their divine nature. In brief, in this contest between the higher and lower, the decisive factor is the person's own personality.
To attain complete liberation from the threefold fruits described in this verse, the seeker should gain knowledge of their true Self, which transcends the three gunas. The subtle distinction between renunciation and monasticism is clarified here. Renunciation means the deliberate abandonment of identification with the modifications of the mind that are influenced by the three gunas; monasticism means the abandonment of that ego which becomes the doer of virtuous and sinful actions and the enjoyer of their fruits.
Throughout the entire Bhagavad Gita, the principles and practices for the reconstruction of human personality are discussed with great beauty and comprehensiveness. Their essence is this: (1) First, abandon ego and selfishness, and perform your duty with the feeling of offering it to the Divine; (2) When the inner consciousness is thus purified, listen to and contemplate upon the nature of the Self through the teachings of Vedanta; and (3) Then, through meditation upon the Self, realize the Self directly and establish yourself in that eternal Truth. In the experience of the Self, the ocean of worldly existence dries up. The pure Self has no process of becoming. It remains forever untouched by the desires of the mind.
Now, in the verses that follow, the nature of action itself is being examined.