Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 25

Chapter 3 – Karma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत ।
कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् ॥

Transliteration

saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata .
kuryādvidvāṃstathāsaktaścikīrṣurlokasaṃgraham ॥

Meaning

As the unwise act, attached to action, O Bharata, so should the wise act, unattached, desiring the welfare of the world.

Word meanings

सक्ताः – attached
कर्मणि – to action
अविद्वांसः – the unwise
यथा – as
कुर्वन्ति – act
भारत – O Bharata
कुर्यात् – should act
विद्वान् – the wise
तथा – so
असक्तः – unattached
चिकीर्षुः – desiring to accomplish
लोकसंग्रहम् – the welfare of the world

Anvaya (word order)

भारत, अविद्वांसः कर्मणि सक्ताः यथा कुर्वन्ति, विद्वान् असक्तः (सन्) लोकसंग्रहं चिकीर्षुः तथा कुर्यात् ।

Explanation

There is a lovely comparison in this verse. The ignorant and the wise both act, but their inner states differ. The ignorant is bound by attachment to results and by the thought ‘I am the doer’; the wise acts in a way that looks the same outwardly but is inwardly unattached.

The Lord says that with the same absorption and enthusiasm with which the ignorant works for self-interest, the wise should work, but without attachment, for the good of others. Shankara says the Self-knower has no purpose left, yet he acts out of desire for loka-sangraha, so that people may not be misled. Ramanuja sees the wise man's action as worship of the Lord and observance of the world's dharma.

‘Chikirshur loka-sangraham’ is very significant. The wise one's action springs not from selfishness but from the wish to guide and support society. His every act is a silent teaching.

The conclusion is that knowledge does not make a person inactive; it makes action light, pure and useful to the world.

Context

After stressing loka-sangraha in 3.20–3.24, the Lord now describes the nature of the wise person's action. In 3.26 He will say that the wise should not unsettle the minds of the ignorant.

Life lesson

Learn to work with the same whole-heartedness you give to gain, but without attachment. Wisdom does not mean inactivity; it means full activity for a higher purpose.

Key terms

Avidvan: the unwise, one who does not know the Self
Vidvan: the wise, knower of the Self
Loka-sangraha: welfare of society and keeping it steady in dharma