Chapter 3: The Path of Action

कर्मयोग · 43 verses. Arjuna questioned: My Lord! If wisdom is superior to action, why do you advise me to engage in this terrible fight?

3.1 Arjuna questioned: My Lord! If wisdom is superior to action, why do you advise me to engage in this terrible fight?
3.2 Your language confuses me and confounds my reason. Therefore, please tell me the only way by which I can, without doubt, secure my spiritual welfare.
3.3 Lord Shri Krishna replied: In this world, as I have said, there is a twofold path, O sinless one! There is the path of wisdom for those who meditate, and the path of acti…
3.4 No one can attain freedom from action by abstaining from action, nor can they reach perfection by simply not acting.
3.5 He cannot remain inactive even for a moment, for the qualities of Nature will compel him to act, whether he wills it or not.
3.6 He who remains motionless, refusing to act, yet brooding over sensuous objects, is that deluded soul simply a hypocrite.
3.7 But, O Arjuna! All honor to him whose mind controls his senses, for he is thereby beginning to practice Karma-Yoga, the Path of Right Action, keeping himself always unatt…
3.8 Do your duty as prescribed, for action for duty's sake is superior to inaction. Even the maintenance of the body would be impossible if one remained inactive.
3.9 In this world, people are fettered by their actions, unless they are performed as a sacrifice.
3.10 In the beginning, when God created all beings through the sacrifice of Himself, He said to them: "You can procreate through sacrifice, and it shall satisfy all your desir…
3.11 Worship the powers of Nature, and let them nourish you in return; thus, supporting each other, you shall attain your highest welfare.
3.12 For, fed by sacrifice, nature will give you all the enjoyment you desire. But he who enjoys what she gives without returning is, indeed, a thief.
3.13 The sages who enjoy the food that remains after the sacrifice is made are freed from all sins; whereas, the selfish who spread their feast only for themselves feed on sin…
3.14 All creatures are the product of food; food is the product of rain; rain comes from sacrifice, and sacrifice is the noblest form of action.
3.15 All actions originate from the Supreme Spirit, which is Imperishable, and in sacrificial actions, the all-pervasive Spirit is consciously present.
3.16 Thus, he who does not help the revolving wheel of sacrifice, but instead leads a sinful life, rejoicing in the gratification of his senses, O Arjuna, is breathing in vain…
3.17 On the other hand, the soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied in the Self; there is nothing more for them to accomplish.
3.18 He has nothing to gain from the performance or non-performance of action; his welfare does not depend on any contribution that an earthly creature can make.
3.19 Therefore, do your duty perfectly, without worrying about the results, for he who does his duty without attachment attains the Supreme.
3.20 King Janaka and others attained perfection through action alone. Even for the sake of enlightening the world, it is your duty to act.
3.21 For whatever a great man does, others imitate; people conform to the standard he has set.
3.22 There is nothing in this universe, O Arjuna, that I am compelled to do, nor anything for me to attain; yet I persistently remain active.
3.23 Were I not to act without ceasing, O prince, people would be inclined to do the same.
3.24 And if I were to refrain from action, the human race would be ruined; I would lead the world to chaos, and destruction would follow.
3.25 As the ignorant act, out of their fondness for action, so should the wise act without attachment, fixing their eyes, O Arjuna, only on the welfare of the world.
3.26 But a wise man should not disturb the minds of the ignorant, who are attached to action; let him perform his own actions in the right spirit, with concentration on Me, th…
3.27 Action is the product of the qualities inherent in nature. It is only the ignorant man who, misled by personal egotism, says, "I am the doer."
3.28 But he, O Mighty One, who correctly understands the relationship between the Qualities and action, is not attached to the act, for he perceives that it is merely the acti…
3.29 Those who do not understand the qualities are interested in the act; however, the wise man who knows the truth should not disturb the mind of those who do not.
3.30 Therefore, surrender your actions to Me, keep your thoughts focused on the Absolute, free from selfishness and without expecting a reward, with a mind free from excitemen…
3.31 Those who always act in accordance with My precepts, firmly in faith and without caviling, they too are freed from the bondage of action.
3.32 But they who ridicule My word and do not observe it, are ignorant, devoid of wisdom, and blind. They seek only their own destruction.
3.33 Even the wise man acts in accordance with his nature; indeed, all creatures act according to their natures. What is the use of compulsion then?
3.34 The love and hate that are aroused by the objects of sense arise from Nature; do not yield to them, as they only obstruct the path.
3.35 It is better to do one's own duty, however lacking in merit, than to do that of another, even though efficiently.
3.36 Arjuna asked, "My Lord, what is it that drives a person to sin, even against their will and as if by compulsion?"
3.37 Lord Shri Krishna: It is desire, it is aversion, born of passion. Desire consumes and corrupts all things. It is the greatest enemy of man.
3.38 As fire is shrouded by smoke, a mirror is covered by dust, and a child is enveloped by the womb, so is the universe enveloped in desire.
3.39 It is the wise man's constant enemy; it tarnishes the face of wisdom, being as insatiable as a flame of fire.
3.40 It works through the senses, the mind, and the reason; and with their help, it destroys wisdom and confounds the soul.
3.41 Therefore, O Arjuna, first control your senses and then slay desire, for it is full of sin and is the destroyer of knowledge and wisdom.
3.42 It is said that the senses are powerful; however, beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is the intellect, and greater than the intellect is He.
3.43 Thus, O Mighty-Armed One, knowing Him to be beyond the intellect, and with His help, subdue your personal ego and kill your enemy, Desire, even though it is extremely dif…

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