Verses Of Gita Chapter 3
Arjuna uvaacha:
jyaayasi chet karmanas te mata buddhir janardana tat kim karmani ghore maam niyojayasi Keshava 3.1
Arjuna: Arjuna; uvaacha: said; jyaayasi: speaking highly; chet: although; karmanah: action; te: your; mata: opinion; buddhih: knowledge; janardana: Janardana; tat: therefore; kim: why; karmani: in action; ghore: terrible; maam: me; niyojayasi: engaging me; keshava: Keshava (slayer of gthe demon Keshu)
3.1 Arjuna said:
O Janardana, O Kesava, Why do You make me engage in this terrible war if You think that knowledge is superior to action?
vyaamishreneva vakyena buddhim mohayaseeva me tad ekam vada nishchitya yena shreyo aham aapnuyaam 3.2 vyaamishrena: by ambiguous; iva: as; vakyena: words; buddhim: intelligence; mohayasee: confusing; iva: as; me: my; tat: therefore; ekam: one; vada: tell; nishchitya: for certain; yena: by which; shreyah: benefit; aham: I; apnuyam: may have
3.2 My intelligence is confused by Your conflicting words. Tell me clearly what is best for me.
श्री भगवानुवाच
Shri Bhagavan uvaacha:
loke asmin dvividhaa nishthaa puraa proktaa mayanagha jnana yogena saankhyaanaam karma yogena yoginaam 3.3
Shri Bhagavan uvaacha: the Lord said; loke: in the world; asmin: this; dvividha: two kinds of; nishtha: faith; pura: before; prokta: were said; maya: by Me; anagha: O sinless one; jnana yogena: by the yoga of knowledge; saankhyaanaam: of the Sankhya; karma yogena: by the yoga of action; yoginaam: of the yoga practitioners
3.3 The Lord said,
'O sinless Arjuna, as I said before, in this world there are two paths; Self knowledge for the intellectual and the path of action of the knowing.
na karmanaam anaarambhaan naishkarmyam purushoshnute na cha sannyasanaad eva siddhim samadhigacchati 3.4 na: without; karmanaam: of the actions; anaarambhaan: abstaining; naishkarmyam: freedom from action; purushah: man; ashnute: achieve; na: not; cha: also; sannyasanaat: by renunciation; eva: surely; siddhim: success; samadhigacchati: attain
3.4 A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from work, nor does he attain fulfillment by giving up action.
na hi kashchit kshanam api jaatu tishthati akarmakrut kaaryate hyavashaha karma saroaha prakruti jair gunaiha 3.5
Na: not, hi: surely, kashchit: anyone, kshanam: for a moment, api: also, jaatu: even, tishthati: stands, akarmakrut: without doing something, kaaryate: forced to work, hi: surely, avashaha: helplessly, karma: action, sarvaha: all, prakriti jaih: of the modes of material nature, gunaiha: by the attributes
3.5 Surely, not even for a moment can anyone stand without doing something. He is always in action, despite himself, as this is his very nature.
karmendriyaani samyamya ya aaste manasaa smaran indriyaarthaan vimudhaatma mithyaachaaraha sa uchyate 3.6
karmeindriyaani: the five working sense organs; samyamya: restraining; ya: who; aste: remains; manasaa: mentally; smaran: recollecting; indriyaarthaan: objects of the senses; vimudha: foolish; atma: soul; mithyaachaaraha: hypocrite; sa: he; uchyate: is called
3.6 He who restrains the sense organs, but who still thinks of the objects of the senses is deluded and is called a hypocrite.
yas tvindriyaani manasaa niyamya aarabhate arjuna karmendriyaih karma yogam asaktaha sa vishishyate 3.7 yah: who; tu: but; indriyaani: senses; manasaa: by the mind; niyamya: controlling; aarabhate: begins; arjuna - O Arjuna; karma indriyaih: by the active sense organs; karma yogam: work of devotion; asaktaha: without attachment; sah: he; vishishyate: superior
3.7 He who begins controlling the senses by the mind and performs selfless work through the sense organs is superior, O Arjuna.
niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyaayo hya akarmanaha shareera yaatraa api cha te na prasiddhyed akarmanaha 3.8 niyatam: prescribed; kuru: do; karma: work; tvam: you; karma: work; jyaayah: better; hi: than; akarmanaha: without work; shareera: body; yaatraa: maintenance; api: even; cha: also; te: your; na: never; prasiddhyet: possible; akarmanaha: without work
3.8 Do your prescribed work, as doing work is better than being idle. Even your own body cannot be maintained without work.
yajnaarthaat karmano 'nyatra loko'yam karmabandhanaha tad artham karma kaunteya mukta sangaha samaachara 3.9 yajna: sacrifice; arthaat: for; karmanah: work done; anyatra: otherwise; lokah: world; ayam: this; karmabandhanaha: bondage by work; tat: Him; artham: for; karma: work; kaunteya: O son of Kunti; mukta: liberated; sangaha: attachment; samaachara: do perfectly
3.9 Work has to be performed selflessly; otherwise, work binds one to this world. O son of Kunti, perform your work for Me and you will do it perfectly, liberated and without attachment.
saha yajnaaha prajaaha srshtva purovaacha prajapatihi anena prasavishyadhvam esha vostvishta kaamadhuk 3.10 sah: along with; yajnaaha: sacrifices; prajaaha: people; srshtvaa: creating; pura: before; uvaacha: said; prajapatihi: the lord of creation; anena: by this; prasavishyadhvam: be more and more prosperous; esha: certainly; vah: your; astu: let it be; ishta: desired; kamadhuk: bestower of gifts
3.10 Brahma, the lord of creation before creating human kind as selfless sacrifice said, 'By this selfless service, be more and more prosperous and let it bestow all the desired gifts.'
devaan bhaavayata anena te devaa bhaavayantu vaha parasparam bhaavayantaha shreyaha param avapsyatha 3.11 devaan: celestial beings; bhaavayata: having pleased; anena: by this sacrifice; te: those; devaa: demigods; bhaavayantu: will please; vaha: you; parasparam: mutual; bhaavayantaha: pleasing one another; shreyaha: prosperity; param: supreme; avapsyatha: achieve
3.11 The celestial beings, being pleased by this sacrifice, will also nourish you; with this mutual nourishing of one another, you will achieve supreme prosperity.
ishtaan bhogaan hi vo devaa daasyante yajna bhaavitaaha tair dattaan apradaayaibhyo yo bhunkte stena eva saha 3.12 ishtaan: desired; bhogaan: necessities of life; hi: certainly; vaha: to you; devaa: demigods; daasyante: award; yajna: sacrifice; bhaavitaaha: satisfied; taih: by them; dattan: things given; apradaaya: without offering; ebhyaha: to the celestial beings; yaha: who; bhunkte: enjoys; stena: thief; eva: certainly; saha: he
3.12 Satisfied with the selfless service, the celestial beings certainly award you the desired necessities of life. He who enjoys the things given by them without offering to the celestial beings is certainly a thief.
yajna shishta ashinaha santo muchyante sarva kilbishaiha bhunjate te tvagham paapaa ye pachantya atma kaaranaat 3.13 yajna: sacrifice, shishta: food; ashinaha: eaters; santaha: devotees; muchyante: get relief from; sarva: all; kilbishaiha: sins; bhunjate: enjoy; te: they; tu: but; agham: grievous; paapa: sins; ye: those; pachanti: prepare food; atma kaaranaat: for sense enjoyment
3.13 Those who eat food after selfless service are free of all sins. Those who prepare food for sense enjoyment do grievous sin.
annaad bhavanti bhutaani parjanyaad anna sambhavaha yajnaad bhavati parjanyo yajnaha karma samudbhavaha 3.14 annaat: from grains; bhavanti: grow; bhutaani: beings; parjanyaat: from rains; anna: food grains; sambhavaha: possible; yajnaat: from sacrifice; bhavati: becomes possible; parjanyah: rains; yajnaha: sacrifice; karma: work; samudbhavaha: born of
3.14 All beings grow from food grains, from rains the food grains become possible, the rains become possible from selfless sacrifice.
karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaakshara samudbhavam tasmaat sarvagatam brahma nithyam yajne pratishthitam 3.15 karma: work; brahma: Creator; udbhavam: born of; viddhi: know; brahma: Creator; akshara: Supreme; samudbhavam: born of; tasmaat: therefore; sarvagatam: all-pervading; brahma: Supreme; nithyam: eternally; yajne: in sacrifice; pratishthitam: situated
3.15 Know that work is born of the Creator and He is born of the Supreme. The all-pervading Supreme is eternally situated in sacrifice.
evam pravartitam chakram na anuvartayati iha yaha aghaayur indriyaaraamo mogham partha sa jeevati 3.16 evam: prescribed; pravartitam: established; chakram: cycle; na: not; anuvartayati: adopt; iha: in this; yaha: who; agha ayuh: life full of sins; indriya araamah: satisfied in sense gratification; mogham: useless; partha: O son of Pritha; sa: he; jeevati: lives
3.16 O Partha, he who does not adopt the prescribed, established cycle lives a life full of sins. Rejoicing in sense gratification, he lives a useless life.
yas tva atma ratir eva syaad atma truptash cha maanavaha atmany eva cha santushtas tasya kaaryam na vidyate 3.17 yah: who; tu: but; atma ratih: takes pleasure; eva: certainly; syaat: remains; atma truptah: satisfied in self; cha:
and; maanavaha: man; atmany: in oneself; eva: certainly; cha: and; santushtah: satiated; tasya: his; kaaryam: work; na: not; vidyate: exist
3.17 One who takes pleasure in the self, who is satisfied in the self and who is satiated in oneself, for him certainly, no work exists.
naiva tasya krutena artho na akruteneha kashchana na chaasya sarva bhuteshu kashcid artha vyapa aashrayaha 3.18 na: never; eva: certainly; tasya: his; krutena: by doing duty; arthaha: purpose; na: not; akrutena: without doing duty; iha: in this world; kashchana: whatever; na: never; cha: and; asya: of him; sarva bhuteshu: all living beings; kashcit: any; artha: purpose; vyapa aashrayaha: taking shelter of
3.18 Certainly, he never has any purpose for doing his duty or for not doing his duty in this world. He does not depend on any living being.
tasmaad asaktahòa satatam kaaryam karma samaachara asakto hyaacharan karma param aapnoti poorushaha 3.19
tasmaad: therefore, asaktaha: without attachment, satatam: always, kaaryam: work, karma: work, samaachara: perform, asaktah: not attached, hi: certainly, acharan: performing, karma: work, param: supreme, aapnoti: achieves, poorushaha: man
3.19 Therefore, one should work always without attachment. Performing work without attachment, certainly, man achieves the Supreme.
karmanaiva hi samsiddhim asthita janaka adayaha loka sangraham eva api sampashyan kartum arhasi 3.20
karmana: by work; eva: also; hi: certainly; samsiddhim: perfection; asthita: situated; janaka: Janaka; adayaha: other kings; loka sangraham: educating people; eva: also; api: therefore; sampashyan: considering; kartum: act; arhasi: deserve
3.20 King Janaka and others attained perfection by selfless service. To guide others you too must act selflessly.
yad yad acharati shreshthas tat tad evetaro janaha sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate 3.21