Verse-22
Chapter 3 — Karma Yoga
Verse 22
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana
nānavāptamavāptavyaṁ varta eva ca karmaṇi
🕉 English Translation
📜 Translation
English
O Parth! There is no duty for Me in all the three worlds, nor is there anything unattained that is to be attained, yet I engage in action.
Life is an invaluable blessing of the Lord. One can do justice to it by leading it in an ideal way. For living in an ideal way it is necessary to have an ideal in front of us! For the sake of an example this statement of the Gita is an evident proof: 'Sa yatpramanam kurute lokastadanuvartate'. For establishing this fact Lord Krishna is not using the example of anyone else but is talking of Himself.
What a wonderful inspiration! The Blessed Lord has no duty to perform; what can He be wanting? He is perfect from every angle. Yet He does not remain inactive. He performs action. The Lord has clearly stated that in all the three worlds there is nothing that He needs to do nor is there anything unattained that He needs to attain. Still He engages in action. Why? The motivation is clear. The embodied being by seeing the Lord engaging in action should not shy away from action. Inaction is not good. Engagement in action is the real dharma (duty) of the human being. Arjun has been cautioned too from this point of view. Now see how the Lord who has nothing to gain is still engaged in action. This is the wonderful spirit of sacrifice and selflessness that the Lord displays through his own example.