For if I ever stopped acting with care, people would follow my path in every way, Arjuna.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 3.23
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे पार्थ अगर मैं किसी समय सावधान होकर कर्तव्यकर्म न करूँ तो बड़ी हानि हो जाय क्योंकि मनुष्य सब प्रकारसे मेरे ही मार्गका अनुसरण करते हैं । यदि मैं कर्म न करूँ, तो ये सब मनुष्य नष्टभ्रष्ट हो जायँ और मैं वर्णसंकरताको करनेवाला होऊँ तथा इस समस्त प्रजाको नष्ट करनेवाला बनूँ ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
यदिifहिindeedअहंIनnotवर्तेयंwere to actजातुeverकर्मणिin actionअतन्द्रितःwithout negligenceममmyवर्त्मन्pathअनुवर्तन्तेfollowमनुष्याःpeopleपार्थArjunaसर्वशःin every way
Read literallyif · indeed · I · not · were to act · ever · in action · without negligence · my · path · follow · people · Arjuna · in every way
Understanding the verse
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If Krishna ever stopped acting with care, he says, people everywhere would follow his example.
Krishna says that if he stopped doing his duty carefully, people would copy that neglect and society would suffer.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
Krishna explains to Arjuna why even the highest being keeps acting. If he became careless and stopped fulfilling duty, ordinary people would imitate that failure, and the social order would collapse.
03
In your life
What it looks like today
A father tells his son to study hard, then spends every evening idle in front of the television. The boy follows the evenings he sees, and the advice fades.
The takeaway
“Your example teaches more loudly than your advice.”
Explore related themes: karma yoga(55 verses), duty(13 verses)
Common questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.23 mean?
Krishna says that if he stopped doing his duty carefully, people would copy that neglect and society would suffer.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 3.23?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Yoga" (The Yoga of Action).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 3.23?
Verse 23 sits in Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Yoga, "The Yoga of Action". The chapter has 43 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 3.23 matter today?
A father tells his son to study hard, then spends every evening idle in front of the television. The boy follows the evenings he sees, and the advice fades.
If Krishna ever stopped acting with care, he says, people everywhere would follow his example.
What this verse means
Krishna says that if he stopped doing his duty carefully, people would copy that neglect and society would suffer.
Context & commentary
Krishna explains to Arjuna why even the highest being keeps acting. If he became careless and stopped fulfilling duty, ordinary people would imitate that failure, and the social order would collapse.
What it looks like today
A father tells his son to study hard, then spends every evening idle in front of the television. The boy follows the evenings he sees, and the advice fades.
“Your example teaches more loudly than your advice.”
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), duty (13 verses)