Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 8
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः । शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः
niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ | śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyedakarmaṇaḥ
Translation
Do thou perform (thy) bounden duty; for, action is superior to inaction. And even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for thee by inaction.
— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri
Word meanings
- niyatam
- prescribed
- kuru
- do
- karma
- action
- tvam
- thou
- karma
- action
- jyāyaḥ
- better
- hi
- indeed
- akarmaṇaḥ
- than inaction
- śarīrayātrā
- of the body, pilgrimage
- api
- even
- ca
- and
- te
- thy
- na
- not
- prasiddhyet
- may succeed
- akarmaṇaḥ
- from (by) inaction
Śaṅkarācārya's commentary
Thy bounden duty is the obligatory (nitya) act, that which one is bound to perform, and which is not prescribed (in the scriptures) as a means to a specific end. Action is superior to inaction in point of result. By inaction you cannot attain success in the life's journey.