Sanskrit
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः । शरीरयात्राऽपि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ॥
niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ
Translation
Perform thou right action, for, action is superior to inaction, and, inactive, even the maintenance of thy body would not be possible.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A blunt, almost pragmatic close to the argument opened in verse 4: after the metaphysical case (nobody can truly stop acting) comes the practical one (you can’t even keep your body alive without acting). “Niyataṃ karma,” prescribed or regular action, picks up the duty language from chapter 2 and points ahead to the caste-and-duty discussion around verse 35. The appeal to śarīra-yātrā, the daily upkeep of the body, is deliberately low: Krishna drops the argument from cosmic necessity to the sheer fact that eating, moving, and breathing are already actions. Quietism is not on the menu, a point BG 3.5 made in principle and this one makes in the kitchen.
Study deeper
Word by word
- niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃनियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं
- do your prescribed action (niyatam + kuru + karma + tvam)
- karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥकर्म ज्यायो ह्य् अकर्मणः
- action is better than inaction (karma + jyāyaḥ + hi + akarmaṇaḥ)
- śarīrayātrāpi ca teशरीरयात्रापि च ते
- even the maintenance of your body (śarīra-yātrā + api + ca + te)
- na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥन प्रसिद्ध्येद् अकर्मणः
- would not succeed without action (na + prasiddhyet + akarmaṇaḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Having just built a metaphysical case that no one can truly stop acting, Krishna drops immediately to the most mundane possible register: you can’t even keep your body fed without acting. The pairing is deliberate — the lofty argument and the blunt one are aimed at the same conclusion from two different altitudes, in case one alone doesn’t land.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you're trying to convince yourself of something important, don't rely on only the abstract argument — pair it with the plainest, most physical version of the same point. Both together land harder than either alone.
Professional
- When making a case to stakeholders, don't stop at the strategic argument — add the blunt operational one too, the one about what literally keeps things running. Arguments aimed at the same conclusion from different altitudes are more persuasive together than either is alone.
Family & Social
- When you're trying to get through to someone close to you, don't rely only on the big-picture reasoning — follow it with the plain, concrete version of the same point. People are often moved by the mundane fact after the lofty argument fails to land alone.
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