🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 3.22
Chapter 3 · कर्मयोग · Karma-Yoga · "The Yoga of Action" · Verse 22 of 43
🪷 English Translations
Five authentic English voices · each from a distinct sampradāya · together revealing the verse's full śabda-tattva.
Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 · public domain · Cosmo Press tradition
3.22 There is nothing in this universe, O Arjuna, that I am compelled to do, nor anything for Me to attain; yet I am persistently active.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
3.22 There is nothing in the three worlds, O Arjuna, that should be done by Me, nor is there anything unattained that should be attained; yet I engage Myself in action.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
3.22 O Partha, na asti, there is no; kartavyam, duty; kincana, whatsoever; me, for Me (to fulfill); even trisu lokesu, in all the three worlds. Why? There is na anavaptam, nothing (that remains) unachieved; or avaptavyam, to be achieved. Still varte eva, do I continue; karmani, in action.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
3.22 For Me, who is the Lord of all, who has all desires fulfilled, who is omniscient, whose will is always true, and who, at My own will, remains in the three worlds in the forms of gods, men and such other beings, there is nothing whatever to achieve. Therefore though there is for Me nothing 'unacired', i.e., nothing yet to be acired by work, I go on working for the protection of the world.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
3.22. O son of Prtha ! For Me, in the three worlds there is nothing that must be done; nor is there any thing unattained [so far] to be attained; and yet I exert in action.
🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices
The classical commentary tradition rendered in English · each ācārya speaks from their own sampradāya · the seer chooses the depth of darśana.
Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
3.22 न not? मे my? पार्थ O Partha? अस्ति is? कर्तव्यम् to be done (duty)? त्रिषु in the three? लोकेषु worlds? किञ्चन anything? न not? अनवाप्तम् unattained? अवाप्तव्यम् to be attained? वर्ते am? एव also? च and? कर्मणि in action.Commentary I am the Lord of the universe and therefore I have no personal grounds to engage. Myself in action. I have nothing to achieve as I have all divine wealth? as the wealth of the universe is Mine? and yet I engage Myself in action.Why do you not follow My example Why do you not endeavour to prevent the masses from following the wrong path by setting an example yourself If you set an example? people will follow you as you are a leader with noble alities.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
3.22 O Partha, na asti, there is no; kartavyam, duty; kincana, whatsoever; me, for Me (to fulfill); even trisu lokesu, in all the three worlds. Why? There is na anavaptam, nothing (that remains) unachieved; or avaptavyam, to be achieved. Still varte eva, do I continue; karmani, in action.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
3.22 For Me, who is the Lord of all, who has all desires fulfilled, who is omniscient, whose will is always true, and who, at My own will, remains in the three worlds in the forms of gods, men and such other beings, there is nothing whatever to achieve. Therefore though there is for Me nothing 'unacired', i.e., nothing yet to be acired by work, I go on working for the protection of the world.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
3.21-22 Yad yad acarati etc. Na me etc. The Bhagavat cities Himself as an example to illustrate the idea that to favour the world is the [only] purpose for such a person to exert in action, eventhough he has already attained whatever is to be attained, and is fully satisfied in his mind.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।3.22।। पूर्णस्वरूप में स्थित योगेश्वर श्रीकृष्ण को तीनों लोकों में किसी वस्तु की इच्छा नहीं थी। यदि वे चाहते तो अपने स्वयं के लिये राज्य स्थापित कर उसमें सुख से रह सकते थे. परन्तु केवल कर्तव्य पालन का उत्तरदायित्व समझते हुए पाण्डवों के धर्म और न्याय संगत पक्ष का साथ देने के लिए ही वे युद्धभूमि में आये थे।बाल्यकाल से लेकर महाभारत युद्ध के क्षण तक उनका सम्पूर्ण जीवन अनासक्ति का ज्वलन्त उदाहरण हैं। यद्यपि उन्हें जीवन में प्राप्त करने योग्य वस्तु अप्राप्य नहीं थी तथापि वे सदैव कर्म में ही रत रहे मानो उनके लिए कर्म करना उत्साह और आनन्द से परिपूर्ण एक क्रीडा हो।इसी सन्दर्भ में भगवान कहते हैं
🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā
- This is verse 22 of 43 in Chapter 3 · Karma-Yoga (The Yoga of Action)
- Chapter theme: Action as worship · the yajña-cycle · sva-dharma over para-dharma
- Ṣaṭka grouping: TVAM-Ṣaṭka (BG 1-6 · the jīva)
- Chapter hub: /karma-yoga
🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷
सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)