Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 15

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः ।
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥

Transliteration

evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvairapi mumukṣubhiḥ .
kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam ॥

Meaning

Knowing this, the seekers of liberation of old also performed action. Therefore you too should perform action, as the ancients did in times long past.

Word meanings

एवम् – thus
ज्ञात्वा – having known
कृतम् – was done
कर्म – action
पूर्वैः – by the ancients
अपि – also
मुमुक्षुभिः – by seekers of liberation
कुरु – perform
कर्म – action
एव – indeed, only
तस्मात् – therefore
त्वम् – you
पूर्वैः – by the ancients
पूर्वतरम् – in very ancient times
कृतम् – performed

Anvaya (word order)

एवं ज्ञात्वा पूर्वैः मुमुक्षुभिः अपि कर्म कृतम् । तस्मात् त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतं कर्म एव कुरु ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna said that one who knows Him as untainted by action is also not bound. Now He draws the practical conclusion for Arjuna: ‘kuru karmaiva’ — perform action. This is a direct answer to Arjuna's original problem, for he wanted to abandon the action of battle and withdraw.

‘Purvair api mumukshubhih’ — the seekers of liberation of old did the same. A mumukshu is one whose heart burns with the desire for freedom. Krishna points out that even those who longed for liberation did not abandon action; they acted with the knowledge that the Self is not the doer and that attachment to results is the real bondage. The example of Janaka and other royal sages (3.20) is recalled here.

Shankara draws a fine distinction in this verse: if you have not yet realised the Self, act for the purification of the mind; if you have realised the truth, act for lokasangraha, the guidance and welfare of the world. In neither case is the renunciation of action appropriate. For Ramanuja, the verse presents Karma Yoga joined with knowledge of the Self as the easier and surer means to liberation.

‘Purvaih purvataram kritam’ — performed by the ancients in times long past. The phrase links back to the lineage described at the start of the chapter (4.1–4.2). Krishna is saying: this path is not new; it has always been walked. Arjuna, you are not attempting some strange experiment; you are following a great tradition.

Context

In 4.14 Krishna said that one who knows Him as untainted by action is not bound. Here He concludes that Arjuna, like the ancient seekers of liberation, should act. In the next verse (4.16) He says that even the wise are confused about what is action and what is inaction.

Life lesson

Spiritual growth does not require abandoning our duties; it requires changing how we see them. Great souls have reached freedom while living in the world and doing their work — we too can turn our duties into spiritual practice.

Key terms

Mumukshu: a seeker with an intense desire for liberation
Lokasangraha: the guidance and welfare of the world
Chitta-shuddhi: purity of mind, gained through selfless action