Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18: Freedom through Renunciation

Bhagavad Gita 18.17

yasya nāhaṃkṛto bhāvo buddhiryasya na lipyate | hatvāpi sa imām̐llokānna hanti na nibadhyate ||

One whose mind is free from the sense of "I am the doer," and whose understanding is untainted, even if he kills these people, does not kill and is not bound.

Modern context

This is one of the most difficult verses in the Gita: one free from ego, whose understanding is untainted, even if he kills, does not kill and is not bound. It must be read carefully. It is not a licence for violence. It describes someone acting from a completely pure, selfless place, as an instrument of a larger order. Such a state is extremely rare. Anyone who uses this verse to excuse cruelty has missed everything that came before it.