Verse 3.16

एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः ।

अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ॥

3.16

Transliteration

evaṃ pravartitaṃ cakraṃ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ |

aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṃ pārtha sa jīvati ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

He who does not follow here the wheel thus set revolving, who is of sinful life, rejoicing in the senses, he lives in vain, O Arjuna.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

thus
set in motion
wheel
not
follows
here
who

living in sin
delighting in the senses
in vain
O Partha (Arjuna)
he
lives

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Krishna names the cycle of food, rain, sacrifice and action a wheel, cakra, set turning by the creator. Each person is meant to help keep it moving. One who refuses, living only for sense pleasure, is called aghāyu, one whose life is sin, and is said to live in vain. The verse adds weight to the argument against withdrawal. Arjuna's refusal to act, even if well meant, would be a refusal to play his part in the larger order. Every life is meant to contribute to the whole.