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Chapter 3 · Verse 9 · Karma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 3.9

empowering Karma & Action Attachment & Letting Go Dharma & Duty

Sanskrit

यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः। तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसंगः समाचर।।3.9।।

Transliteration

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samāchara

Word by Word

yajña-arthāt for the sake of sacrifice
karmaṇaḥ than action
anyatra else
lokaḥ material world
ayam this
karma-bandhanaḥ bondage through one’s work
tat that
artham for the sake of
karma action
kaunteya Arjun, the son of Kunti
mukta-saṅgaḥ free from attachment
samāchara perform properly
Simplified Perspective

Lord Krishna reveals the sacred secret: action performed as an offering to the divine (yajña) liberates us, while all other action binds us to the wheel of karma and rebirth. The world exists in this tension — those who work without attachment to results, dedicating their labor to something greater than themselves, move through life with freedom even while acting.

For us today, this means transforming every task — from our work to our relationships to our daily struggles — into an act of service, releasing the grip of ego that demands recognition and reward.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 3.9 — BG 3.9

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

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