Bhagavad Gita BG 3.23
Chapter 3, Verse 23 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः । मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ २३ ॥
yadi hy ahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
Meaning
For if I ever ceased to act tirelessly, O Arjuna, all people would follow my path in every way.
Understanding
Krishna continues the argument begun in v22. He is God — the supreme being. If He ever stopped acting (jātu na varteyam), every human being would follow His example and also stop acting. The word atandritaḥ (tireless, without laziness) is revealing: Krishna acts not reluctantly but with full engagement, without flagging. The logic carries immense weight: if the most liberated being in existence acts tirelessly, then liberation cannot mean inaction. This verse closes the philosophical escape hatch that a person might use to justify passivity by claiming they are 'beyond karma.'
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अतन्द्रितः | atandritaḥ | tireless / without laziness / fully engaged |
| वर्त्म | vartma | path / way / example |
| अनुवर्तन्ते | anuvartante | would follow / would model themselves on |
| सर्वशः | sarvaśaḥ | in every way / in all respects / entirely |
| जातु | jātu | ever / at any time |
| यदि | yadi | if (conditional) |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (causal) |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| न वर्तेयम् | na varteyam | were not to engage / did not act |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | in action / in works |
| मम | mama | my (path) |
| मनुष्याः | manuṣyāḥ | human beings / people |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Partha (Arjuna) |