Vers 3.23

यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः ।

मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥

3.23

Transliteratie

yadi hyahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ |

mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||

Door Sanskrit System · Machineconcept · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Vertaling

For, should I not ever engage Myself in action, unwearied, men would in every way follow My path, O Arjuna.

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Woord voor woord

if
indeed
I
not
should engage
ever
in action
tirelessly

my
path
would follow
people
O Partha (Arjuna)
in every way

Door Sanskrit System · Machineconcept · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Uitleg

Krishna explains why he acts though he has nothing to gain. If he were ever to stop, people would follow his example in every way, and so they too would stop acting. The verse applies the principle stated a little earlier, that the world follows the standard set by the great, to Krishna himself. His action is a form of care for the world. It shows that the motive for action, for one who is free, can be compassion and responsibility rather than personal desire.