Chapter 3, Verse 8
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः। शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः।।3.8।।
niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ. śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyedakarmaṇaḥ.।3.8.।
Word by word
- नियतं (niyatam)
- prescribed / obligatory (action, i.e., duty enjoined by scripture or one's station)
- कुरु (kuru)
- do! perform! (imperative of √kṛ, 'to do')
- कर्म (karma)
- action, work, duty (object of 'kuru')
- त्वं (tvam)
- you (nominative, subject, emphatic - referring to Arjuna)
- कर्म (karma)
- action (subject of the next clause, 'action [is]...')
- ज्यायः (jyāyaḥ)
- better, superior, more excellent
- हि (hi)
- indeed, for, certainly (emphatic/explanatory particle)
- अकर्मणः (akarmaṇaḥ)
- than inaction, than non-action (ablative of comparison)
- शरीरयात्रा (śarīra-yātrā)
- bodily maintenance, sustenance/journey of the body (compound: śarīra = body, yātrā = journey/sustenance)
- अपि (api)
- even, also
- च (ca)
- and
- ते (te)
- your, for you (genitive/dative of tvam)
- न (na)
- not
- प्रसिद्ध्येत् (prasiddhyet)
- would be accomplished, would succeed (optative of pra-√sidh)
- अकर्मणः (akarmaṇaḥ)
- by inaction, through non-action (ablative of cause)
Commentary
8. Do thou perform (thy) bounden duty; for action is superior to inaction. And even the main- tenance of the body would not be possible for thee by inaction.
Source: Alladi Mahadeva Sastri, The Bhagavad-Gita with the Commentary of Sri Shankaracharya (1897), public domain
Verse Builder
Tap each meaning in order to match its Sanskrit word.
Sanskrit (in order)
Your answer
नियतं (niyatam)
कुरु (kuru)
कर्म (karma)
त्वं (tvam)
कर्म (karma)
ज्यायः (jyāyaḥ)
हि (hi)
अकर्मणः (akarmaṇaḥ)
शरीरयात्रा (śarīra-yātrā)
अपि (api)
च (ca)
ते (te)
न (na)
प्रसिद्ध्येत् (prasiddhyet)
अकर्मणः (akarmaṇaḥ)
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