Sanskrit
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव । मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥
abhyāse 'py asamartho 'si matkarmaparamo bhava madartham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi
Translation
If also thou art not equal to constant practice, be intent on My service; performing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The second rung: if sustained practice (verse 9) is out of reach, work performed for Krishna’s sake still leads to siddhi, perfection. This is the same logic as karma yoga from Chapters 2-3 — action itself is not the obstacle, self-directed motive is — now folded explicitly into the devotional frame. The second rung: if practice is out of reach, work done for Krishna’s sake still reaches siddhi. Same logic as chapters 2–3: action is not the obstacle, self-directed motive is — now folded explicitly into the devotional frame.
Study deeper
Word by word
- abhyāse 'py asamartho 'siअभ्यासे ऽप्य् असमर्थो ऽसि
- if you are unable even at practice (abhyāse + api + asamarthaḥ + asi)
- matkarmaparamo bhavaमत्कर्मपरमो भव
- be intent on works for Me (mat-karma-paramaḥ + bhava)
- madartham api karmāṇi kurvanमदर्थं अपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्
- even doing actions for My sake (mat-artham + api + karmāṇi + kurvan)
- siddhim avāpsyasiसिद्धिं अवाप्स्यसि
- you will attain perfection (siddhim + avāpsyasi)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The discipline offered here — act, but not for your own sake — is not a new idea; it’s karma yoga from chapters 2 and 3, reappearing without announcement inside a devotional frame. The Gita’s teachings recombine more than they multiply: a discipline learned once tends to resurface, largely unchanged, wherever it’s needed again.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- If a discipline you already know — acting without needing personal credit — feels unrelated to a new goal you're chasing, look again. It's probably the same skill resurfacing under a different name, not a new one you still have to learn.
Professional
- When starting work in an unfamiliar domain, check first whether a discipline you already practice elsewhere — documenting decisions, sharing credit — applies directly, instead of assuming you need an entirely new approach.
Family & Social
- If you already know how to act selflessly in one relationship, trust that the same underlying discipline transfers directly to a different one that currently feels harder — you're not starting from zero there either.
Ask yourself
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