Bhagavad Gita BG 3.24
Chapter 3, Verse 24 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् । सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः ॥ २४ ॥
utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṃ karma ced aham saṃkarasya ca kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ
Meaning
If I were to cease from action, these worlds would fall into ruin. I would be the cause of confusion (saṃkara) and would destroy these creatures.
Understanding
This verse states the cosmic responsibility of the enlightened leader in stark terms. Utsīdeyuḥ means 'would collapse / sink into ruin.' If Krishna stopped acting, the cosmic order would crumble. Saṃkara (confusion, chaos, intermixing) is the result — the same word Arjuna used earlier when worrying about destruction of dharma. Here Krishna acknowledges that the world needs active stewardship. For Arjuna, the implication is direct: as a prince, warrior, and leader, his abandonment of duty would produce exactly this saṃkara — the collapse of the social and moral order he is sworn to protect.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| उत्सीदेयुः | utsīdeyuḥ | would collapse / fall into ruin / sink |
| सङ्करः | saṃkaraḥ | confusion / chaos / disorder / intermixing |
| कर्ता स्याम् | kartā syām | I would be the cause / the doer |
| उपहन्याम् | upahanyām | I would destroy / harm / cause the ruin of |
| प्रजाः | prajāḥ | creatures / beings / people / offspring |
| इमे | ime | these (worlds) |
| लोकाः | lokāḥ | worlds / peoples |
| न कुर्याम् | na kuryām | were I not to perform |
| कर्म | karma | action / work |
| चेद् | ced | if / should (conditional) |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |
| इमाः | imāḥ | these (creatures) |