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Chapter 16 · Verse 23 · Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 16.23

urgent Dharma & Duty Karma & Action Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः।न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम्।।16.23।।

Transliteration

yaḥ śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim

Word by Word

yaḥ who
śhāstra-vidhim scriptural injunctions
utsṛijya discarding
vartate act
kāma-kārataḥ under the impulse of desire
na neither
saḥ they
siddhim perfection
avāpnoti attain
na nor
sukham happiness
na nor
parām the supreme
gatim goal
Simplified Perspective

When we cast aside the guidance of sacred wisdom and drift into the current of our own desires, we become like a boat without a rudder—moving, yet profoundly lost. The scriptures are not chains but maps drawn by those who have walked the path to truth; abandoning them means abandoning the very means of your own awakening.

Neither success in life, nor genuine happiness, nor the ultimate liberation you secretly seek can emerge from a life lived merely for impulse and craving. When you align your choices with dharma instead of desire, you step into the flow where grace itself becomes your companion.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 16.23 — BG 16.23

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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