Verse 3.9
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः ।
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ॥
Transliteration
yajñārthātkarmaṇo'nyatra loko'yaṃ karmabandhanaḥ |
tadarthaṃ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara ||
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3
Translation
The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for that sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment.
From the owner's sheet · +1 more
This world is bound by action, except for action done as sacrifice. So, son of Kunti, perform action for that purpose, free from attachment.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08 · +1 more
Word by word
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08
Explanation
Krishna introduces the idea of sacrifice (yajña) as the key to action that does not bind. Action done for selfish ends ties a person to its results, but action offered as yajña, for a purpose larger than oneself, leaves one free. The word originally meant Vedic ritual offering, and some readers keep that sense, while others take it more widely as any work done in a spirit of offering. Either way, the verse shows Arjuna that the answer to binding action is not to stop acting but to change its aim.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08