Bhagavad Gita BG 3.19
Chapter 3, Verse 19 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर । असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः ॥ १९ ॥
tasmād asaktaḥ satataṃ kāryaṃ karma samācara asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ
Meaning
Therefore, always perform your duty without attachment. By performing action without attachment, a person attains the Supreme.
Understanding
This verse is the practical summary of Chapter 3's central teaching. Tasmāt (therefore) — after all the reasoning above — the conclusion is simple: asaktaḥ satataṃ kāryaṃ karma samācara — 'always, unattached, perform your duty.' The word satataṃ means 'always / continuously' — not just when convenient. Samācara means 'perform rightly and completely.' The promise: asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti — 'performing action in this unattached way, one attains the Supreme.' Param is the highest — liberation itself. This is perhaps the most compact statement of the karma-yoga promise in the entire Gita.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| असक्तः | asaktaḥ | unattached / free from clinging to results |
| सततम् | satatam | always / constantly / continuously |
| कार्यम् | kāryam | duty / what ought to be done |
| समाचर | samācara | perform rightly and completely / carry out |
| परम् | param | the Supreme / the highest / liberation |
| तस्मात् | tasmāt | therefore |
| कर्म | karma | action / prescribed duty |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (causal) |
| आचरन् | ācaran | performing / practicing / doing |
| आप्नोति | āpnoti | attains / achieves |
| पूरुषः | pūruṣaḥ | a person / the man |