The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3:

The Path of Action (Karma Yoga)

Arjuna asked, “O Janardana (Krishna)! If you think that Knowledge of Brahman is superior to the Path of Action, then why do you engage me in this terrible action of fighting the war? (1)

My intellect gets confused with contradictory thoughts. Please tell one thing which definitely leads me to the Highest Goal. (2)

Shri Krishna said, “O Pure Minded Arjuna! I have described two kinds of paths in this world, namely “The Path of Knowledge” for the people who follow Sankhya Yoga and “The Path of Action” for the people who follow Karma Yoga. (3)

No one can attain ‘action-less-ness”, the highest state of Karma Yoga, by not performing any action. On the other hand, no one can attain the Highest Knowledge by simply renouncing all actions. (4)

Know for certain that even for a second, no person can remain without performing any action. All people are forced to perform actions by the three gunas created by the Prakriti (the Power of Brahman). (5)

A deluded person who forcefully controls his/her senses, but cherishes the sense-pleasures in the mind is called a hypocrite. (6)

But one who controls one’s senses through the mind, and by remaining unattached, engages the senses in the performance of actions, following the path of Karma Yoga, is indeed superior. (7)

Perform your responsibilities assigned by nature and as described in the scriptures. It is better to perform action than to remain inactive.  Even to keep one’s body alive one has to perform action. (8)

(Note: Each person is born in a particular space, time, and surrounding situation. According to these space-time-situations, one has allotted responsibilities.)

People get bound by their actions if they are not performed as an offering to God. Therefore, O Arjuna! Perform your responsibilities in a detached spirit and as an offering to God. (9)

The Creator Prajapati (Brahma) created human beings and the Yajna (sacrifices) in the beginning of the cycle and said, “May you multiply by these sacrifices. May these sacrifices be the ‘Cow of Plenty’ which fulfills your desires.” (10)

(Note: The Sanskrit word “Yajna” literally means a ritualistic worship described in the Vedas. In a broader sense, any action is “Yajna” if it is done as an offering to God or for one’s spiritual development. Such an action is also called ‘a sacrifice.’)

Prajapati continued, “With these ‘Yajnas’ you nourish the gods (the powers which control the environment) and may the gods nourish you. Thus, nourishing each other, you will obtain the Highest Good. The gods nourished by the ‘Yajnas’ will bestow on you the desired enjoyments. A person who enjoys worldly pleasures that were not given by the gods is a thief.” (11-12)

Good people, who eat the remnant of the “Yajnas” become free from their sins; but those wicked people who cook only for themselves without offering it as “Yajna” verily eat sin. (13)

(Note: Eating sins is like living a selfish life.)

From food all creatures are born. Food comes because of rain. From “Yajnas” comes rain. “Yajnas” (sacrifices) come from actions. Actions are prescribed in the Vedas and the Vedas arise from the Imperishable Brahman. Therefore, the all-pervading Brahman always resides in the “Yajnas” (sacrifices). (14-15)

Thus the wheel was set in motion. One who does not follow this, but takes delight in the selfish pleasures and commits sins lives in vain. (16)

But if one rejoices to be one with the Self (Atman), remains fully satisfied with the Self, and is content in the Self alone, such a person does not have any responsibility to perform.  Such a great soul has nothing left to accomplish in this universe for which he/she has to work, nor does he/she lose anything from any action which is not performed. Such a soul has no selfish motive in his/her relationship with others.  (17-18)

(Note: All the actions of such a great soul are unselfish and beneficial to humanity.)

Therefore, remain always detached and perform your responsibilities. By performing one’s responsibilities without any attachment one realizes the Ultimate Reality (Brahman).  (19)

(Note: Performing responsibility with detachment means to perform it as an offering to God (Brahman) or for to perform for one’s own spiritual (inner) development. First one starts as ‘Work and Worship,’ then it becomes ‘Work as Worship’ and ultimately it becomes ‘Work is Worship.’ To understand more about detachment, one has to study and practice Swami Vivekananda’s lectures on Karma Yoga.)

By performing actions alone in the detached spirit, King Janaka and otherwise people have attained the Supreme Knowledge (or Perfection). Further, you should perform your responsibility in this way even to set a good example in society. (20)

Whatever the great people do, people follow them.  Whatever standards they set in the world, others try to attain. (21)

O Arjuna! I have no responsibility in the world. There is nothing in these three worlds that I have not gained and nothing that remains to be gained. But, I continue to work. (22)

If I do not engage Myself continuously in action, then there will be great harm in society because people follow Me in everything. If I do not perform My responsibilities, then all people will do the same and they will be destroyed. They will either do whatever they want or choose not to perform their responsibilities at all and thus they will destroy themselves. Therefore, I would become the cause of their destruction. (23-24)

O Bharata (Arjuna)! The unattached and wise people, wishing the welfare of all, should perform their actions with the same zeal as ignorant people, who are attached to the world, perform their actions. (25)

An enlightened person should not disturb the mind-set of those who are attached to their actions.  But, he/she should perform actions with the proper spirit and help others to do the same. (26)

Actually, all people are forced to work by the three gunas of the Prakriti.  Only a deluded, egoistic person thinks that “I am performing all actions.” (27)

O Mighty Armed Arjuna! One who knows the truth about ‘the gunas and the actions’ and ‘the Atman being as a witness consciousness’ remains unattached to all actions, realizing that the gunas are forcing the senses to perform these actions. (28)

Those who are under the spell of the three gunas, remain attached to the actions which were forced on them by the gunas. A person who has full understanding of the activities of the three gunas should not disturb the minds of those who have little understanding about them. (29)

Keeping your mind focused on the Self (Atman), offer all actions to Me (Brahman). Thus, you will free your mind from worldly desires and selfishness. Then, perform your responsibility as a warrior to fight without being perturbed by grief. (30)

Those who follow this advice of Mine, having faith in Me and without any complaint, will be free from the bondage of their actions. (31)

Those who are skeptical about this teaching and do not follow it, know that these senseless people blinded to all wisdom are heading towards their own destruction. (32)

All people, including the knowledgeable ones, are working under the dictate of Prakriti. It is useless to try to do otherwise. (33)

Attachment and aversion are engraved in the senses towards their sense-objects. You should not be controlled by them. They are the enemies in the path to perfection (the Highest Knowledge). (34)

One’s own unpleasant responsibility, even if ill-performed, is better than the well-performed, pleasant-looking responsibility of another.  It is better to die performing one’s own responsibility. There is a great danger in performing other people’s responsibilities. (35)

Arjuna asked, “O Krishna! Under what compulsion do people unwillingly commit sin as if they are forced by it?” (36)

Shri Krishna said, “Know that desire and anger are all-devouring and they are the cause of all sin. They arise by the rajo-guna and are our enemy in this world. As smoke covers fire, dirt covers a mirror, and an amniotic sac covers the fetus, desire and anger cover knowledge of our true identity. (37-38)

(Note: Sri Ramakrishna said that one has to conquer lust and greed as they cover our true identity.)

O Arjuna! Know that this desire is like a fire which cannot be quenched by any amount of ghee or wood we put into it. The Ultimate Knowledge of a person is covered by his/her worldly desires. A person who is seeking the Supreme Knowledge should consider these worldly desires as an enemy. (39)

(Note: A person’s worldly desires (especially lust and greed) cannot be fulfilled no matter how many ways one tries to fulfill them. The more we try to fulfill our worldly desires, the more they  multiply and intensify like the fire with the ghee or the wood.)

The senses, the mind, and the intellect are the abode of worldly desires and through them they cover the supreme knowledge of a person that he/she is nothing but the Self (Atman). (40)

Therefore, O Arjuna! Control your senses and destroy the worldly desires which cover the supreme knowledge and the wisdom of a person. (41)

The senses are stronger than the worldly objects. The mind is superior to the senses. The intellect (discriminating power) is superior to the mind. The Self (Atman) is superior to the intellect. (42)

O Mighty Armed Arjuna! With your pure intellect realize the supremacy of the Self, and with it control your mind and destroy this worldly desire, the enemy which is most powerful and difficult to conquer. (43)

Thus, in the Bhagavad Gita— the essence of the Upanishads, the science of Brahman, the scripture of Yoga, and the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna— ends the Third Chapter, entitled “The Path of Action.”

Om Tat Sat.

(Thanks to Sonali Tatapudy and Rushil Desai for editing this post.)