Chapter 3 : Karma Yoga – अध्याय ३: कर्मयोग

The third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is based on "Karma Yoga," in which Shri Krishna explained the importance of doing karma, following one's dharma without worrying about the fruits, and understanding self-reliance.

Arjuna Uvacha: Jyayasi chetkarmanaste mata buddhirjanardana. Tatkim karmani ghore mam niyojayasi keshava.

Arjuna said: O Janardana! If you consider knowledge superior to action, then why, O Keshava! do you engage me in this terrible action? ॥ 1 ॥

Vyamishreneva vakyena buddhi mohayasiva me. Tadekam vada nishchitya yena shreyo'hamapnuyam.

You seem to be confusing my intellect with mixed-up words. Therefore, tell me that one thing definitively by which I may attain welfare. ॥ 2 ॥

Shri Bhagavanuvacha: Loke'smindwividha nishtha pura prokta mayanagha. Jnanayogena sankhyanam karmayogena yoginam.

Shri Bhagavan said: O sinless one! In this world, two kinds of devotion have been spoken of by me in the past. Of these, the devotion of the Sankhya yogis is through knowledge yoga, and the devotion of the yogis is through karma yoga. ॥ 3 ॥

Na karmanamnarambhannaiskarmya purusho'shrute. Na cha sanyasanadeva siddhi samadhigacchati.

A man does not attain inaction, i.e., yoga devotion, without beginning actions, nor does he attain perfection, i.e., Sankhya devotion, merely by renouncing actions. ॥ 4 ॥

Na hi kashchitkshanamapi jatu tishthatyakarmakrit. Karyate hyavashah karma sarvah prakritijairgunaih.

Undoubtedly, no man ever remains even for a moment without performing action; for all mankind is compelled to act by the qualities born of nature. ॥ 5 ॥

Karmendriyani samyamya ya aste manasa smaran. Indriyarthanvimoodhatma mithyacharah sa uchyate.

He who, with a deluded mind, restrains all the senses of action and mentally remembers the objects of those senses, is called a hypocrite. ॥ 6 ॥

Yastvindriyani manasa niyamyarabhate'rjuna. Karmendriyaih karmayogamasaktah sa vishishyate.

But, O Arjuna! he who, controlling the senses by the mind, unattached, practices karma yoga through the senses of action, is superior. ॥ 7 ॥

Niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hyakarmanah. Sharirayatrapi cha te na prasiddhyedakarmanah.

You perform your prescribed duty; for action is superior to inaction, and even the maintenance of your body will not be possible without action. ॥ 8 ॥

Yajnarthatkarmanyo'nyatra loko'yam karmabandhanah. Tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samachara.

This human community is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice. Therefore, O Arjuna! perform your duty well for the sake of that sacrifice, without attachment. ॥ 9 ॥

Sahayajnah prajah srishtva purovacha prajapatih. Anena prasavishyadhvamesha vo'stvishtakamadhuk.

In the beginning of the kalpa, Prajapati Brahma, having created the people along with sacrifice, said to them, "May you prosper by this sacrifice, and may this sacrifice be the fulfiller of your desired enjoyments." ॥ 10 ॥

Devanbhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah. Parasparam bhavayantah shreyah paramavapsyatha.

You elevate the gods through this sacrifice, and may those gods elevate you. Thus, elevating each other selflessly, you will attain supreme welfare. ॥ 11 ॥

Ishtanbhoganhi vo deva dasyante yajnabhavitah. Tairdattanapradayaibhyo yo bhunkte stena eva sah.

The gods, nourished by sacrifice, will surely give you the desired enjoyments without your asking. He who enjoys the enjoyments given by those gods without offering them in return is indeed a thief. ॥ 12 ॥

Yajnashishtashinah santo muchyante sarvakilbishaih. Bhunjate te tvagham papa ye pachantyatmakaranat.

The virtuous who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins, and those sinful people who cook food only for the sake of nourishing their bodies eat only sin. ॥ 13 ॥

Annadbhavanti bhutani parjanyadannasambhavah. Yajnadbhavati parjanyo yajnah karmasamudbhavah ॥ Karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaksharasamudbhavam. Tasmatsarvagatam brahma nityam yajne pratishthitam.

All beings are born from food, food is produced from rain, rain comes from sacrifice, and sacrifice is born of prescribed actions. Know that the community of actions is born of the Vedas, and the Vedas are born of the imperishable Supreme Being. Therefore, the all-pervading Supreme Imperishable Being is ever established in sacrifice. ॥ 14-15 ॥

Evam pravartitam chakram nanuvartayatiha yah. Aghayurindriyaramo mogham partha sa jivati.

O Partha! He who does not follow this cycle of creation, which is thus traditionally set in motion in this world, i.e., does not fulfill his duty, that sinful person who delights in sensual pleasures lives in vain. ॥ 16 ॥

Yastvatmaratireva syadatmatriptashcha manavah. Atmanyeva cha santushtastasya karyam na vidyate.

But for the man who delights only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self, and who is content in the Self alone, there is no duty. ॥ 17 ॥

Naiva tasya kritenartho nakriteneha kashchana. Na chasya sarvabhuteshu kashchidarthavyapashrayah.

That great man has no purpose to be served in this world by performing actions, nor by not performing actions. And he has no selfish relationship with any being. ॥ 18 ॥

Tasmadasaktah satatam karyam karma samachara. Asakto hyacharankarma paramapnoti purushah.

Therefore, always perform your duty well without attachment. For by performing action without attachment, man attains the Supreme. ॥ 19 ॥

Karmanaiva hi sansiddhimasthita janakadayah. Lokasangrahamevapi sampashyankartumarhasi.

Janaka and other wise men attained supreme perfection through action without attachment. Therefore, considering the maintenance of the world, you ought to act, i.e., it is proper for you to act. ॥ 20 ॥

Yadyadacharati shreshthastattadevetaro janah. Sa yatpramanam kurute lokastadanuvartate.

Whatever a great man does, other men also do the same. Whatever standard he sets, the whole world begins to follow it. ॥ 21 ॥

Na me parthasti kartavyam trishu lokeshu kinchana. Nanavaptamavaptavyam varta eva cha karmani.

O Arjuna! I have no duty in these three worlds, nor is there anything unattained that needs to be attained, yet I continue to act. ॥ 22 ॥

Yadi hyaham na varteyam jatu karmanyatandritah. Mama vartmanuvartante manushyah partha sarvashah.

For, O Partha! if I were not to act carefully, there would be great harm; for men follow my path in every way. ॥ 23 ॥

Utseedyurime loka na kuryaam karma chedaham. Sankarasya cha karta syamupahanyamimah prajah.

Therefore, if I do not act, all these men would be ruined, and I would be the cause of confusion and the destroyer of all this creation. ॥ 24 ॥

Saktah karmanyavidvanso yatha kurvanti bharata. Kuryadvidvanstathasaktashchikirshurlokasangraham.

O Bharata! Just as the ignorant act with attachment to action, so should the wise act without attachment, desiring the maintenance of the world. ॥ 25 ॥

Na buddhibhedam janayedajnanam karmasanginam. Joshayetsarvakarmani vidvanyuktah samacharan.

The wise man, steadfast in the nature of the Supreme Being, should not confuse the minds of the ignorant who are attached to the actions prescribed by the scriptures. But he himself should perform all the actions prescribed by the scriptures well and get them to do the same. ॥ 26 ॥

Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah. Ahankaravimoodhatma kartahamiti manyate.

In reality, all actions are performed in every way by the qualities of nature, yet the ignorant, whose minds are deluded by ego, think, "I am the doer." ॥ 27 ॥

Tattvavittu mahabaho gunakarmavibhagayoh. Guna guneshu vartanta iti matva na sajjate.

But, O mighty-armed one! The knower of the truth about the divisions of qualities and actions, the yoga practitioner of knowledge, understanding that all the qualities are acting in the qualities, is not attached to them. ॥ 28 ॥

Prakritergunasammoohah sajjante gunakarmasu. Tanakritsnavido mandankritsnavinna vichalayet.

Men who are greatly deluded by the qualities of nature are attached to the qualities and actions; the wise man who fully understands should not unsettle those ignorant, dull-witted men who do not fully understand. ॥ 29 ॥

Mayi sarvani karmani sannyasyadhyatmachetasa. Nirashirnirmamo bhootva yudhyasva विगतज्वरः.

Surrendering all actions to me, the indwelling Supreme Being, with your mind fixed on the Self, freed from hope, free from selfishness, and free from sorrow, fight. ॥ 30 ॥

Ye me matamidam nityamanutishthanti manavah. Shraddhavanto'nasuyanto muchyante te'pi karmabhih.

Those men who, free from fault-finding and full of faith, always follow this doctrine of mine, are also freed from all actions. ॥ 31 ॥

Ye tvetadabhyasuyanto nanutishthanti me matam. Sarvajnanavimoodhanstanviddhi nashtanachetasah.

But those who find fault with me and do not act according to this doctrine of mine, know them to be deluded in all knowledge and ruined. ॥ 32 ॥

Sadrisham cheshtate svasyah prakriterjnanavanapi. Prakritim yanti bhutani nigraha kim karishyati.

All beings attain nature, i.e., they act under the control of their own nature. Even the wise man acts according to his own nature. Then what will anyone's obstinacy do in this matter? ॥ 33 ॥

Indriyasyendriyasyarthe ragadveshau vyavasthitau. Tayorna vashamagachchhettau hyasya paripanthinau.

Attachment and aversion are situated in the object of each sense, i.e., in relation to each sense. One should not come under the control of those two, for they are the great enemies who obstruct one's path to welfare. ॥ 34 ॥

Shreyansvadharmo vigunah paradharmatsvanushthitat. Svadharme nidhanam shreyah paradharmo bhayavahah.

One's own duty, though devoid of merit, is far better than another's duty well performed. Even death in one's own duty is beneficial, and another's duty is fraught with fear. ॥ 35 ॥

Arjuna Uvacha: Atha kena prayukto'yam papam charati purushah. Anichchannapi varshneya baladiva niyojitah.

Arjuna said: O Krishna! Then by what is this man impelled to commit sin, even against his will, as if compelled by force? ॥ 36 ॥

Shri Bhagavanuvacha: Kama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudbhavah. Mahashano mahapapma viddhyenamiha vairinam.

Shri Bhagavan said: This desire, which is born of the quality of passion, is anger; it is all-devouring, i.e., never satisfied with enjoyments, and greatly sinful; know this to be the enemy in this matter. ॥ 37 ॥

Dhoomenavriyate vahniryathadarshi malena cha. Yatholbenavrito garbhastatha tenedamavritam.

Just as fire is covered by smoke and a mirror by dirt, and just as the womb is covered by the amnion, so is this knowledge covered by that desire. ॥ 38 ॥

Avritam jnanameten jnanino nityavairina. Kamarupena kaunteya dushpoorenanalena cha.

And, O Arjuna! Man's knowledge is covered by this desire, which is like a fire that is never satisfied, the eternal enemy of the wise. ॥ 39 ॥

Indriyani mano buddhirasyadhishthanmuchyate. Etairvimohayatyesha jnanamavritya dehinam.

The senses, the mind, and the intellect are said to be its dwelling places. This desire, through these mind, intellect, and senses, covers knowledge and deludes the embodied soul. ॥ 40 ॥

Tasmattvamindriyanadau niyamya bharatarshabha. Papmanam prajahi hyenam jnanavijnananasanam.

Therefore, O Arjuna! First control the senses and then surely kill this great sinful desire, which destroys knowledge and wisdom. ॥ 41 ॥

Indriyani paranyahurindriyebhyah param manah. Manasastu para buddhiryo buddheh paratastu sah.

The senses are said to be superior to the gross body, i.e., powerful and subtle; superior to these senses is the mind, superior to the mind is the intellect, and superior to the intellect is the Self. ॥ 42 ॥

Evam buddheh param buddhva sanstabhyatmanam atmana. Jahi shatru mahabaho kamarupam durasadam.

Thus, knowing the Self, which is superior to the intellect, i.e., subtle, powerful, and supremely excellent, and controlling the mind by the intellect, O mighty-armed one! Kill this enemy, desire, which is difficult to conquer. ॥ 43 ॥

Om Tat Satiti Srimad Bhagavadgeetasupanishatsu Brahmavidyayam Yogashastre Shrikrishnarjunasanvade Karmayogo Nama Tritiyo'dhyayah ॥ 3 ॥