Bhagavad Gita BG 3.25
Chapter 3, Verse 25 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत । कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् ॥ २५ ॥
saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata kuryād vidvāṃs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur loka-saṃgraham
Meaning
As the ignorant act with attachment to their work, O Bharata, so should the wise act — but without attachment — seeking the welfare of the world (lokasamgraha).
Understanding
This verse offers a beautiful symmetry: the ignorant (avidvāṃsaḥ) and the wise (vidvāṃn) both engage in action — their outer behaviour can look identical. The difference is inner: the ignorant act with sakti (attachment), the wise act without. And crucially, the wise have a different motivation: cikīrṣuḥ loka-saṃgraham — 'wishing to achieve the welfare of the world.' Self-interest is replaced by concern for the whole. This is why the wise must remain engaged in the world rather than retreating — their presence, their example, their selfless action holds the social fabric together in a way that self-interested action never can.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सक्ताः | saktāḥ | attached / clinging to results |
| अविद्वांसः | avidvāṃsaḥ | the ignorant / the unwise |
| असक्तः | asaktaḥ | unattached / free from clinging |
| चिकीर्षुः | cikīrṣuḥ | wishing to do / desiring to achieve |
| लोकसंग्रहम् | loka-saṃgraham | the welfare and integration of the world |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | in action / to actions |
| यथा | yathā | just as / in the way that |
| कुर्वन्ति | kurvanti | perform / do / act |
| भारत | bhārata | O Bharata (Arjuna) |
| कुर्यात् | kuryāt | the wise one should perform / should do |
| विद्वान् | vidvān | the wise person / the knower |
| तथा | tathā | similarly / in the same way (but without attachment) |