Sanskrit
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः । कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥
evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam
Translation
Having thus known, our forefathers, ever seeking liberation, performed action; therefore do thou also perform action, as did our forefathers in the olden time.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna appeals to precedent — even the ancient seekers of liberation acted, on the strength of this same understanding — and turns it into a direct instruction: therefore, act as they acted. This closes the theoretical section that opened at verse 5 and opens the chapter’s most philosophically dense stretch, verses 16-23, a sustained meditation on the nature of action and inaction. The appeal to mumukṣu — those who wanted liberation, and still acted — pre-empts the reading that seekers should withdraw. It repeats BG 3.20’s use of Janaka: the goal has always been reached through action, not around it.
Study deeper
Word by word
- evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karmaएवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म
- knowing this, action was done (evam + jñātvā + kṛtam + karma)
- pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥपूर्वैः अपि मुमुक्षुभिः
- even by the ancient seekers of liberation (pūrvaiḥ + api + mumukṣubhiḥ)
- kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṃकुरु कर्मैव तस्मात् त्वं
- therefore do you also perform action (kuru + karma + eva + tasmāt + tvam)
- pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtamपूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतं
- as done in ancient times by the ancients (pūrvaiḥ + pūrvataram + kṛtam)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The precedent argument here isn’t “the ancients did it, so it’s right” — it’s conditional on understanding: “having thus known,” the ancients acted. The instruction to act like them only follows after the theory has actually landed, which makes this a knowledge-then-precedent structure rather than an appeal to tradition on its own terms.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Before adopting a practice just because someone you respect did it, make sure you've actually understood the reasoning behind it the way they did — copying the action without the understanding underneath it isn't really following the same precedent.
Professional
- When justifying a process to a new team by pointing to 'how we've always done it,' first make sure you can articulate the reasoning that made it work, not just cite that it's tradition — otherwise you're passing on the form without the substance.
Family & Social
- When passing a family practice on to the next generation, transmit the reasoning behind it, not just the instruction to repeat it — a ritual without its underlying understanding rarely survives being handed down.
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