Kartṛtva Tyāgam — Relinquishing Doership
Kartṛtva Tyāgam (Sanskrit: kartṛtva = doership/agency + tyāga = renunciation; 'renouncing doership') is the first of the three essential tyāgams (renunciations) that define proper karma yoga in Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta.
The Core Insight: The jīvātmā is not independently the doer (kartā) of any action. Bhagavān, as the inner controller (antaryāmī), is the true agent who enables the soul to act. Without Bhagavān's śakti (power), the jīvātmā cannot move a finger. When the soul falsely claims 'I am doing this' (ahaṃ kartā), it falls into the error of kartṛtva abhimāna — ego of doership.
Three Tyāgams Together: Kartṛtva tyāgam is inseparable from:
- Mamatā tyāgam — relinquishing possessiveness ('this is mine')
- Phala tyāgam — relinquishing attachment to results
Result: When a devotee performs all actions as instruments of Bhagavān — with no ego of doership, no possessiveness, and no craving for results — every action becomes a form of kainkaryam (service). This is the essence of karma yoga as Śrī Rāmānuja explains in the Gītā.