Chapter 3 · The Yoga of Action

श्रीकृष्णŚrī Kṛṣṇa speaks

Text 3.8

नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मण: शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मण:

niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ śharīra-yātrāpi cha te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ

Recitation · Text 3.8
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Word-for-Word Śabda-Artha (15 words)

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Purport Overview & Key Insights

Krishna gives the plain instruction Arjuna asked for: perform your prescribed duty, since action is better than inaction — and adds an almost mundane argument, that even the maintenance of your own body would be impossible without it.

✨ Devotional Takeaway:The argument for action here isn't lofty — it's as ordinary as the fact that a body has to be kept alive.