November Gītā: 5.10

brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi
sańgaḿ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
lipyate na sa pāpena
padma-patram ivāmbhasā

‘One who surrenders his actions to Brahma and works without personal attachments is not soiled by sin, as a lotus leaf is not touched by water .’
Bhagavad Gītā 5.10

In this verse we return to a central theme of the Bhagavad Gita: that for most of us – required to act in the world even when we’d rather run for the hills – renunciation through selfless action is the more effective path to yoga. Two powerful images are presented here,  making this verse quite beautiful to visualise. The first is Brahma, used to convey action without attachment to the results as an offering to the divine. The second is the lotus, padma, which is used in many cultures as a symbol of perfection. The lotus rises out of muddy waters, yet as it flowers it appears untouched by its environment. Neither the  flower nor its leaves arrive in this state by magic. That journey through the murky depths is long and arduous. And when the sun sets the lotus goes back beneath the surface, ready to start again tomorrow. 

– Tom Norrington-Davies