Sanskrit
न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन । नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि ॥
na me pārthāsti kartavyaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana nānavāptam avāptavyaṃ varta eva ca karmaṇi
Translation
There is nothing in the three worlds, O Pârtha, that should be done by Me, nor anything unattained that might be attained; yet I mingle in action.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna applies verse 21’s principle to himself, and in doing so puts himself in exactly the position verses 17-18 described — nothing to gain, nothing left undone — yet still acting. He’s using his own conduct as the strongest possible proof that lokasangraha, not personal need, should motivate someone who has genuinely gone beyond attachment; verses 23-24 explain what would happen if he stopped. The rhetorical force is that of an a fortiori: if even the one being who could not possibly need to act still acts, Arjuna’s claim to a right of withdrawal collapses. The self-sufficiency of BG 3.17 is real; it just isn’t a licence to stop.
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Word by word
- na me pārthāsti kartavyaṃन मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं
- there is nothing I must do, O Pārtha (na + me + pārtha + asti + kartavyam)
- triṣu lokeṣu kiñcanaत्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन
- in the three worlds, anything (triṣu + lokeṣu + kiñcana)
- nānavāptam avāptavyaṃनानवाप्तं अवाप्तव्यं
- nothing unattained to be attained (na + anavāptam + avāptavyam)
- varta eva ca karmaṇiवर्त एव च कर्मणि
- yet I remain engaged in action (varte + eva + ca + karmaṇi)
Commentary
Site Commentary
This is the first point in the whole discourse where Krishna offers himself, not scripture, myth, or precedent, as the evidence for a claim — a shift from citing authority to demonstrating it directly. Having nothing left to gain and still choosing to act, he becomes his own proof of the principle rather than merely stating it.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Site Commentary — Second Reading
The verb Krishna uses for his own relationship to action, varte — “I engage, I turn, I am occupied” — is not the language of a remote cause pulling levers from outside the system; it’s participatory, the same root used elsewhere for simply existing or turning in the world. That word choice quietly forecloses a deist reading of everything Krishna has said about divine oversight up to this point: the picture isn’t a governor issuing orders from a distance, it’s an actor immersed in the same field of action he’s describing. Whatever authority is being claimed here, it isn’t the authority of someone standing outside the game.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- When you want to convince someone of a principle you believe in, notice whether you're only citing sources for it or actually embodying it yourself — your own conduct as evidence is often more persuasive than any argument or precedent you could quote.
Professional
- When advocating for a practice you believe in — code review discipline, honest status updates — don't just cite policy or best practice, demonstrate it in your own work first. Being the evidence carries more weight with a team than being the messenger for someone else's rule.
Family & Social
- When you want someone close to you to adopt a value you believe in, notice whether you're only telling them about it or actually living it where they can see — becoming the proof yourself tends to land far more than repeating the advice ever will.
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