A core teaching · devotional in mood · easy to enter
“Offered action can succeed where practice still fails.”
If you are unable even to practice, then be devoted to working for Me. By doing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyeven in practice · unable · you are · devoted to My work · become · for My sake · even · actions · doing · perfection · you will attain
If steady practice is too hard, dedicate your actions to Krishna instead. Even ordinary work offered with devotion can lead to fulfillment.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Bhakti Yoga" (The Yoga of Devotion).
Verse 10 sits in Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita — Bhakti Yoga, "The Yoga of Devotion". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
You sit at the edge of a hospital bed, too shaken to pray properly, too tired to think clearly. Still, you can wash the cup, make the call, and offer the next act with care.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts devotion from a private feeling into a way of acting.
What this verse means
If steady practice is too hard, dedicate your actions to Krishna instead. Even ordinary work offered with devotion can lead to fulfillment.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still unable to settle his mind fully on Krishna. Krishna lowers the entry point again: if even practice is too difficult, turn every action into offering. Devotion can carry what discipline cannot yet hold.
Why this verse still matters
You sit at the edge of a hospital bed, too shaken to pray properly, too tired to think clearly. Still, you can wash the cup, make the call, and offer the next act with care.
“You are not blocked by weakness; you are invited to offer what you can do.”