Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 24

Chapter 3 – Karma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् ।
सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः ॥

Transliteration

utsīdeyurime lokā na kuryāṃ karma cedaham .
saṅkarasya ca kartā syāmupahanyāmimāḥ prajāḥ ॥

Meaning

If I did not perform action, these worlds would perish; I would be the author of disorder and would destroy these beings.

Word meanings

उत्सीदेयुः – would perish, collapse
इमे – these
लोकाः – worlds
न कुर्याम् – did not perform
कर्म – action
चेत् – if
अहम् – I
सङ्करस्य – of confusion, disorder
च – and
कर्ता – the author
स्याम् – I would be
उपहन्याम् – would destroy
इमाः – these
प्रजाः – beings

Anvaya (word order)

चेत् अहं कर्म न कुर्याम्, इमे लोकाः उत्सीदेयुः; सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्याम्, इमाः प्रजाः उपहन्याम् ।

Explanation

In the previous verse the Lord spoke of imitation; here He states its frightening result. If God abandoned action, the order of creation would break down, and the worlds would ‘utsideyuh’ — sink, collapse. He would also be the maker of ‘sankara’, confusion and mingling of order.

Shankara explains ‘sankara’ as the social disorder arising when the boundaries of the orders of society and life-stages collapse, saying that this would ruin the people. Ramanuja regards it as damage to the dharmic arrangement on which society rests. Both agree that abandoning action gives birth to chaos.

The use of the word ‘upahanyam’ for the Lord is striking: if I did so, I would become the destroyer of creatures. It is a kind of moral responsibility — not acting can sometimes be a way of doing harm.

Arjuna must understand that his withdrawal is not a neutral act; its consequences will be wide. Inaction is itself a kind of action, and it has results.

Context

After the point about imitation in 3.23, verse 3.24 gives the terrifying consequence. In 3.25 the Lord will explain the difference between the action of the ignorant and of the wise.

Life lesson

Stepping back from responsibility is never neutral. Those on whom others depend cause harm even by inaction; therefore fulfil your duty.

Key terms

Utsideyuh: would sink, would perish
Sankara: disorder, confusion of boundaries
Upahanyam: I would destroy