कर्मयोग (Karma Yoga)

"Arjuna said, "O Krsna, if you deem knowledge to be superior to action, why then do you urge me to engage in this terrible deed?""

"Arjuna said, "O Janardana (Krishna), if it is Your opinion that wisdom is superior to action, why do You urge me to take such horrible action, O Kesava?""

"Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O Kesava, doest Thou ask me to engage in this terrible action?"

"Arjuna said, "O Janardana, if you hold knowledge to be superior to action, then why do you engage me in such terrible action, O Kesava?""

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

"You confuse my mind with statements that seem to contradict each other; tell me for certain the one way by which I could reach the highest good."

"You bewilder my understanding, as it were, with a seemingly conflicting statement! Tell me for certain which one of these I may use to attain the highest Good."

"With this seemingly perplexing speech, you seem to be confusing my understanding; therefore, tell me one certain way by which I may attain bliss."

"You seem to be confounding my intellect with Your seemingly confusing speech. Therefore, tell me with certainty that one thing by which I may attain the good (emancipation)."

"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."

"The Lord said, "In this world, a two-fold way was of yore laid down by Me, O sinless one: Jnana Yoga for the Sankhyas and Karma Yoga for the Yogins.""

"The Blessed Lord said, O unblemished one, two kinds of steadfastness in this world were spoken of by Me in days gone by—through the Yoga of Knowledge for the men of realization; through the Yoga of Action for the yogis."

"The Blessed Lord said, "In this world, there is a twofold path, as I said before, O sinless one: the path of knowledge of the Sankhyas and the path of action of the Yogins.""

"The Bhagavat said, "The two-fold path in this world—the one with Yoga of knowledge for men of reflection and the other with Yoga of action for men of Yoga—has been declared by Me to be one, O sinless one!""

"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 action for those who work."

"No one experiences freedom from action (Naiskarmya) by abstaining from work; and no one ever attains success through mere renunciation of work."

"A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from action; nor does he attain fulfillment merely through renunciation."

"Man does not reach actionlessness by not performing actions; nor does he attain perfection by mere renunciation."

"A person attains actionlessness not just by abstaining from actions, but also by renunciation, he attains success (emancipation)."

"No one can attain freedom from action by abstaining from action, nor can they reach perfection by simply not acting."

"No one can remain still for even a moment without doing work; for everyone is compelled to act, despite themselves, by the Gunas born of Nature."

"For no one ever remains even for a moment without doing work, for all are made to work under compulsion by the gunas born of Nature."

"Verily, no one can remain for even a moment without performing action; for everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by the qualities born of Nature."

"For, no one can ever remain, even for a moment, as a non-performer of action; because everyone, not being master of themselves, is forced to perform action by the strands born of the Prakriti (Material cause)."

"He cannot remain inactive even for a moment, for the qualities of Nature will compel him to act, whether he wills it or not."

"He who, controlling the organs of action, lets his mind dwell on the objects of the senses, is a deluded person and a hypocrite."

"One who, after withdrawing the organs of action, sits mentally recollecting the objects of the senses, is called a hypocrite, for they have a deluded mind."

"He who, restraining the organs of action, sits thinking of the sense-objects in his mind, he of deluded understanding is called a hypocrite."

"Controlling their organs of action, whoever sits with their mind pondering over sense objects—that person is a man of deluded soul and is called a man of deluded action."

"He who remains motionless, refusing to act, yet brooding over sensuous objects, is that deluded soul simply a hypocrite."

"But he who, subduing his senses by the mind, O Arjuna, begins to practice Karma Yoga through the organs of action and who is free from attachment, excels."

"But, O Arjuna, one who engages in Karma-yoga, controlling the organs of action with the mind and becoming unattached, excels."

"But whoever, controlling the senses by the mind, O Arjuna, engages himself in Karma Yoga with the organs of action, without attachment, he excels."

"But, controlling the sense-organs with the mind, whoever undertakes the Yoga of action with the action-senses, he, the detached one, is superior, O Arjuna!"

"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 unattached."

"You must perform your obligatory action; for action is superior to non-action (Jñāna Yoga). For a person following non-action, not even the sustenance of the body is possible."

"You should perform your obligatory duties, for action is superior to inaction. Moreover, even the maintenance of your body will not be possible without action."

"Perform your bounden duty, for action is superior to inaction, and even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for you through inaction."

"You must perform the action that has been enjoined upon you. For, action is superior to inaction; and even the maintenance of your body cannot be properly accomplished through inaction."

"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."

"This world is held in the bondage of work only when work is not performed as a sacrifice. O Arjuna, you must perform work for this purpose, free from attachment."

"This man becomes bound by actions other than those intended for God. Without being attached, O son of Kunti, perform actions for Him."

"The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform actions for that sake alone, free from attachment."

"The world is fettered by action which is different from Yajna-action; therefore, O son of Kunti, free from attachment, perform Yajna-action properly."

"In this world, people are fettered by their actions, unless they are performed as a sacrifice. Therefore, O Arjuna, let your actions be done without attachment, as a sacrifice only."

"In the beginning, the Lord of all beings created man along with the sacrifice and said, "By this shall you prosper; this shall be the cow of plenty, granting all your desires.""

"In days of yore, having created the beings together with the sacrifices, Prajapati said, "By this, you shall multiply. Let this be your yielder of coveted objects of desire.""

"The Creator, having in the beginning created mankind together with sacrifice, said, "By this shall you propagate; let this be the milch cow of your desires—the cow that yields all the desired objects.""

"Having created creatures formerly [at the time of creation], together with the necessary action, the Lord of creatures declared: "By means of this, you shall propagate yourselves; and let this be your wish-fulfilling cow.""

"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 desires.""

"By this, please the gods, and they will support you. Thus, nourishing each other, you may obtain the highest good."

"'You nourish the gods with this. Let those gods nourish you in return. By mutually nourishing each other, you shall attain the supreme Good.'"

"With this, nourish the gods, and may the gods nourish you; thus, nourishing each other, you shall attain the highest good."

"'You should gratify the devas with this, and let the devas gratify you; thus, mutually gratifying each other, you will attain the highest good.'"

"Worship the powers of Nature, and let them nourish you in return; thus, supporting each other, you shall attain your highest welfare."

"The gods, pleased by the sacrifice, will bestow upon you the enjoyments you desire. He who enjoys the bounty of the gods without giving them anything in return is but a thief."

"'Being nourished by sacrifices, the gods will indeed give you the coveted enjoyments. He is certainly a thief who enjoys what has been given by them without offering it to them.'"

"The gods, nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys the objects given by the gods without offering anything in return is indeed a thief."

"The devas, gratified with necessary action, will grant you the things sacrificed. Therefore, whoever enjoys their gifts without offering them to these devas is surely a thief."

"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."

"Pious people who eat the remnants of sacrifices are freed from all sins, whereas those who are sinful and cook only for their own sake will only incur sin."

"By partaking in the remnants of sacrifices, they become freed from all sins. But those who are unholy and cook for themselves incur sin."

"The righteous who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins; but those sinful ones who cook food solely for their own sake indeed consume sin."

"The righteous persons, who eat the remnants of the actions to be performed necessarily, are freed from all sins. But those who cook, intending for their own selves, are sinners and consume sin."

"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 alone."

"All beings arise from food; food is produced from rain; rain comes from sacrifice; and sacrifice is born of action."

"From food are born the creatures; the origin of food is from rain; rain originates from sacrifice; sacrifice has action as its source."

"From food come forth beings; from rain, food is produced; from sacrifice arises rain, and sacrifice is born of action."

"From food arise the things that are born; from the rain-cloud the food arises; from the sacrifice the rain-cloud arises; the sacrifice arises from action."

"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."

"Know that activity springs from Brahman, i.e., the physical body; Brahman arises from the imperishable Self; therefore, the all-pervading Brahman is ever established in sacrifice."

"Know that action has the Vedas as its origin; the Vedas have the Immutable as their source. Hence, the all-pervading Vedas are forever based on sacrifice."

"Know that action comes from Brahma, and Brahma comes from the Imperishable. Therefore, the all-pervasive Brahma ever rests in sacrifice."

"Action arises from the Brahman; you should know this; the Brahman arises from that which does not stream forth; therefore, the all-pervading Brahman is permanently based on the sacrifice."

"All actions originate from the Supreme Spirit, which is Imperishable, and in sacrificial actions, the all-pervasive Spirit is consciously present."

"He who does not follow the wheel thus set in motion here, lives in sin, satisfying the senses, O Arjuna; he lives in vain."

"O Partha, he who does not follow the wheel thus set in motion lives in vain, their life is sinful, and they indulge in the senses."

"He who does not follow the wheel thus set in motion, who is of sinful life, rejoicing in the senses, lives in vain, O Arjuna."

"Whoever does not keep the wheel of life rolling, which has been set in motion in this world, is a man of sinful life, rejoicing in the senses; and he lives in vain, O son of Prtha!"

"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."

"But the man whose delight is only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self, who rejoices in the Self, for him nothing remains to be accomplished."

"But that man who rejoices only in the Self, is satisfied with the Self, and is content only in the Self—for him there is no duty to perform."

"But for that man who rejoices only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self and is content in the Self alone, indeed there is nothing to do."

"But the man who simply rejoices in the Self, is satisfied in the Self, and delights in the Self alone—there exists no action for him to be performed."

"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."

"He has no purpose to gain from work done or left undone, nor does he have to rely on any end."

"For him, there is no concern here at all with performing action, nor any with non-performance. Moreover, he has no dependence on any object to serve any purpose."

"For him, there is no interest whatsoever in what is done or not done; nor does he depend on any being for any purpose."

"No purpose is served for him by what he has done or by what he has not done. For him, there is hardly any dependence on any purpose among all beings."

"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."

"Therefore, do your work without attachment, which ought to be done. For, a person who works without attachment attains the Supreme."

"Therefore, remaining unattached, always perform the obligatory duty; for, by performing one's duty without attachment, a person attains the highest."

"Therefore, without attachment, always perform the actions that should be done; for by performing actions without attachment, one reaches the Supreme."

"Therefore, always remaining unattached, you should perform the action that is to be performed; for, the person performing action without attachment attains the Supreme."

"Therefore, do your duty perfectly, without worrying about the results, for he who does his duty without attachment attains the Supreme."

"Indeed, Janaka and others reached perfection through Karma Yoga alone. Even recognizing its necessity for guiding the world, you must perform action."

"For Janaka and others strove to attain liberation through action itself. You should perform your duties, keeping in view the prevention of mankind from going astray."

"Janaka and others attained perfection indeed through action alone; even with the intention of protecting the masses, you should perform action."

"Janaka and others attained emancipation through action alone. Moreover, you should act with the intention of upholding the world."

"King Janaka and others attained perfection through action alone. Even for the sake of enlightening the world, it is your duty to act."

"Whatever a great man does, others do too. Whatever standard he sets, the world follows it."

"Whatever a superior person does, another person does the same! Whatever they uphold as authority, an ordinary person follows that."

"Whatever a great man does, others also do; whatever he establishes as the standard, the world follows."

"Whatever a great man does, others of lesser stature follow suit; whatever standard he sets, the world follows it."

"For whatever a great man does, others imitate; people conform to the standard he has set."

"For me, Arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds that ought to be done, nor is there anything unaccomplished that ought to be accomplished. Yet I continue to work."

"In all the three worlds, O Partha, there is no duty for Me to fulfill; nothing remains unachieved or to be achieved. (Still,) I continue in action."

"There is nothing in the three worlds, O Arjuna, that needs to be done by Me, nor is there anything unattained that needs to be attained; yet I engage Myself in action."

"O son of Prtha! For Me, there is nothing to be done in the three worlds, nor is there anything yet to be attained; and yet I am engaged in action."

"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."

"If I did not continue to work unweariedly, O Arjuna, people would follow my path."

"For, O Partha, if at any time I do not continue vigilantly in action, people will follow My path in every way."

"For, should I not ever engage myself in action, unwearied, people would in every way follow my path, O Arjuna."

"For, if I were ever not to work unwearied, all men would follow My path, O son of Prtha!"

"Were I not to act without ceasing, O prince, people would be inclined to do the same."

"If I do not do the work, these people will be lost; and I will be causing chaos in life and thereby ruining all these people."

"These worlds would be ruined if I did not perform action. And I shall become the agent of intermingling (of castes), and shall be destroying these beings."

"These worlds would perish if I did not perform action; I would be the author of confusion of castes and destruction of these beings."

"These worlds would perish if I were not to perform action; and I would be the cause of confusion; I would destroy these people."

"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."

"Just as the ignorant, attached to their work, act, O Arjuna, so too the learned should act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world."

"O scion of the Bharata dynasty, as the unenlightened people act with attachment to work, so should the enlightened person act, without attachment, desiring to prevent people from going astray."

"As the ignorant act out of attachment to action, O Bharata, so should the wise act without attachment, wishing for the welfare of the world."

"Therefore, just as the unwise persons, being attached to action, do, O son of Prtha, so the wise should perform, but being unattached and desiring to hold the world together."

"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."

"He should not bewilder the minds of the ignorant who are attached to work; rather, he should himself perform work with devotion and cause others to do the same."

"The enlightened man should not disturb the beliefs of the ignorant, who are attached to work. He should remain diligent himself and make them perform all their duties."

"Let no wise man unsettle the minds of ignorant people who are attached to action; he should engage them in all actions, himself fulfilling them with devotion."

"Let the wise master of Yoga fulfill (or destroy) all actions by performing them all, and let him not create any disturbance in the minds of the ignorant persons attached to action."

"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, thus inspiring all others to do the same."

"Actions are being performed in every way by the Gunas of Prakrti; he whose nature is deluded by egoism, however, thinks, 'I am the doer.'"

"While actions are being done in every way by the gunas (qualities) of Nature, one who is deluded by egoism thinks, "I am the doer.""

"All actions are wrought in all cases by the qualities of Nature alone. He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks, "I am the doer.""

"The actions are performed part by part by the strands of Prakriti; yet, the person, having his self (mind) deluded with egoity, imagines, 'I am the sole doer.'"

"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.""

"But he who knows the truth about the division of the Gunas and works, O mighty-armed one, through his knowledge that the Gunas 'operate on their own products,' is not attached."

"But, O mighty-armed one, the one who is a knower of the facts about the varieties of the gunas and actions does not become attached, thinking thus: 'The organs act on the objects of the organs.'"

"But he who knows the Truth, O mighty-armed Arjuna, about the divisions of the qualities and their functions, knowing that the Gunas, as senses, move amidst the Gunas, as the sense-objects, is not attached."

"But, O mighty-armed one, the one who knows the true nature of the strands and their respective divisions of work, realizes: 'The strands are in their respective purposes.' And thus, he is not attached."

"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 action and reaction of the Qualities among themselves."

"Those who are deluded by the Gunas of Prakrti are attached to the works of the Gunas. But he who knows the whole truth should not disturb the ignorant who do not know the whole truth."

"Those who are completely deluded by the gunas of Nature become attached to the activities of the gunas. The one who knows the All should not disturb those of dull intellect, who do not know the All."

"Those deluded by the qualities of Nature are attached to the functions of the qualities. The man of perfect knowledge should not unsettle the foolish one who is of imperfect knowledge."

"Men, completely deluded by the strands of Prakrti, are attached to the actions of those strands. Those who know fully should not confuse them, whereas the dullards who do not know fully."

"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."

"Surrender all your actions to Me, with a mind focused on the Self, free from desire and selfishness, and fight with the heat of excitement abated."

"Free from the fever of the soul, dedicate all actions to Me, with your mind intent on the Self, and become free from expectations and egoism, and engage in battle."

"Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centered on the Self, free from hope and egoism, and from mental fever, fight thou."

"Renouncing all actions in Me, with a mind that concentrates on the Self; being free from the act of resting and from the sense of possession; and consequently being free from mental fever; you should fight."

"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 excitement, begin to fight."