उत्सीदेरन्प्रजाः सर्वा न कुर्युः कर्म चेद्यदि। [तथा ह्येता न वर्धेरन्कर्म चेदफलं भवेत् ।।]
If people did not act, all creatures would perish; likewise, if actions bore no fruit, these would not thrive.
दृष्ट्वाऽपिच फलं कर्म पश्यामः कुर्वतो जनान्। नान्यथा ह्यपि जानन्ति वृत्तिं लोकाः कथंचन
Seeing the result of action, we observe people acting; for otherwise, the world would not know how livelihood is obtained.
यश्च दिष्टपरो लोके यश्चापि हठवादकः। उभावपि शठावेतौ कर्मबुद्धिः प्रशस्यते
He who relies on fate and he who insists stubbornly—both are deceivers; the understanding based on action is praised.
यो हि दिष्टमुपासीत निर्विचेष्टः सुखं स्वपन्। अवसीदेत्सुदुर्बुद्धिरामो घट इवोदके
He who worships fate, remaining inactive and sleeping comfortably, sinks down, foolish and helpless, like a jar in water.
तथैव हठबुद्धिर्यः शक्तः कर्मण्यकर्मकृत्। आसीत न चिरं जीवेदनाथ इव दुर्बलः
Likewise, one who is stubbornly determined, able to act but does nothing, sits idle and does not live long, like a weak person.
अकस्मादिह यः कश्चिदर्थं प्राप्नोति पूरुषः। तं हठेनेति मन्यन्ते स हि यत्नो न कस्यचित्
If someone suddenly attains some object here, people say it is by force; for such a result, no effort belongs to anyone.
वश्चापि कश्रित्पुरुषो दिष्टं नाम भजत्युत। दैवेन विधिना पार्थ तद्दैवमिति निश्चितम्
And if a person receives what is allotted, it is said to be destiny; by divine ordinance, O Partha, this is certainly fate.
यत्तावस्कर्मणा किंचित्फलमाप्नोति पूरुषः। प्रत्यक्षं चक्षुषा दृष्टं तत्पौरुषमिति श्रुतम्
Whatever result a person obtains through effort, seen directly with the eyes, is known as the fruit of human endeavor.
स्वभावतः प्रवृत्तो यः प्राप्नोत्यर्थं न कारणात्। तत्स्वभावात्प्रकं विद्धि फलं पुरुषसत्तम
One who acts according to his nature and attains a result without any apparent cause—know, O best of men, that this fruit arises from his own nature.
एवं हठाच्च दैवाच्च स्वभावात्कर्मणस्तथा। यानि प्राप्नोति पुरुषस्तत्फलं पूर्वकर्मणाम्
Thus, whether by force, by destiny, by nature, or by action, whatever a person attains is the fruit of previous deeds.
धातापि हि स्वकर्मैव तैस्तैर्हेतुभिरीश्वरः। विदधाति विभज्येह फलं पूर्वकतं नृणाम्
Even the Creator, the Lord, distributes the fruits of previous actions among people, assigning them according to various causes.
यद्धि यः पुरुषः किंचित्कुरुते वै शुभाशुभम्। तद्धातृविहितं विद्धि पूर्वकर्मफलोदयम्
Whatever good or bad a person does, know that it is ordained by the Creator and arises from the fruition of past actions.
कारणं तस्य देहोऽयं धातुः कर्मणि कर्मणि। स यथा प्रेरयत्येनं तथाऽयं कुरुतेऽवशः
This body is the instrument for action, and the Creator impels it in each deed; as He directs, so this one acts, helplessly.
तेषुतेषु हि कृत्येषु विनियोक्ता महेश्वरः। सर्वभूतानि कौन्तेय कारयत्यवशान्यपि
In all these tasks, the great Lord assigns duties; O Kaunteya, He causes all beings to act, even against their will.
मनसाऽर्थान्विनिश्चित्य पश्चात्प्राप्नोति कर्मणा। बुद्धिपूर्वं स्वयं वीर पुरुषस्तत्र कारणम्
After discerning objects with the mind, one attains them through action; first comes understanding, O hero, and in that, the person is the cause.
संख्यातुं नैव शक्यानि कर्माणि पुरुषर्षभ। अगारनगराणां हि सिद्धिः पुरुषहैतुकी
Actions cannot be counted, O best among men; the success of houses and cities depends on human effort.
तिले तैलं गवि क्षीरं काष्ठे पावकमन्ततः। एवं धीरो विजानीयादुपायं चास्य सिद्धये
As oil is in sesame, milk in the cow, and fire in wood, so the wise should know the means for achieving success.
ततः प्रवर्तते पश्चात्कारणेष्वस्व सिद्धये। तां सिद्धिमुपजीवन्ति कर्मणामिह जन्तवः
Then, one proceeds according to the causes for one's own success; living beings here attain that success through action.
कुशलेन कृतं कर्म कर्त्रा साधु स्वनुष्ठितम्। इदं त्वकुशलेनेति विशेषादुपलभ्यते
An act done skillfully by the doer, properly performed, is recognized as good; but if done unskillfully, it is distinguished as otherwise.
इष्टापूर्त्तफलं न स्यान्न शिष्यो न गुरुर्भवेत्। पुरुषः कर्मसाध्येषु स्वाच्चेदयमकारणम्
The fruit of sacrifice and charity would not exist, nor would there be disciple or teacher, if a person were not the cause in accomplishing actions.
कर्तृत्वादेव पुरुषः कर्मसिद्धौ प्रशस्यते। असिद्धौ निन्द्यते चापि कर्मनाशः कथं त्विह
Because of agency, a person is praised for success in action; in failure, he is blamed, but how could action be destroyed here?
सर्वमेव हठेनैके दैवेनैके वदन्त्युत। पुंसः प्रयत्नजं केचिद्दैवमेतद्विशिष्यते
Some say everything is by force, others by destiny; some claim it is from human effort, and others hold destiny to be superior.
न चैवैतावता कार्यं मन्यन्त इति चापरे। अस्ति सर्वमदृश्यं तु दिष्टं चैव तथा हठः
And others hold that even by this, the task is not accomplished; all is unseen, and so too is destiny and effort.
दृश्यते हि हठाच्चैव दिष्टाच्चार्थस्य संततिः। किंचिद्दैवाद्धठात्किंचित्किंचिदेव स्वकर्मतः
For indeed, the continuity of results is seen from effort and from destiny; some things arise from fate, some from effort, and some from one's own actions.
पुरुषः फलमाप्नोति चतुर्थं नात्र कारणम्। कुशलाः प्रतिजानन्ति ये वै तत्त्वविदोजनाः
A person attains a fourth kind of result, for which there is no cause here; the skilled, those who know the truth, affirm this.
तथैव धाता भूतानामिष्टानिष्टफलप्रदः। यदि न स्वानन भूतानां कृपणो नाम कश्चन
Likewise, the Creator gives beings both desired and undesired results; if he did not give to his own creatures, he would be called miserly.
यंयमर्थमभिप्रेप्सुः कुरुते कर्म पूरुषः। तत्तत्सफलमेव स्याद्यदि न स्यात्पुरा कृतम्
Whatever action a person undertakes, desiring a particular result, that result is indeed attained, unless it has already been accomplished before.
त्रिद्वारामर्थसिद्धिं तु नानुपश्यन्ति ये नराः। तथैवानर्थसिद्धिं च यथा लोकास्तथैव ते
Those men who do not perceive the threefold means of attaining results, likewise do not perceive the means of attaining misfortune, just as others in the world.
कर्तव्यमेव कर्मेति मनोरेष विनिश्चयः। एकान्तेन ह्यनीहोऽयं वर्ततेऽस्मासु संप्रति
The conviction of the mind is that action must indeed be performed; for now, this inactivity prevails among us.
कुर्वतो हि भवत्येव प्रायेणेह युधिष्ठिर। एकान्तफलसिद्धिं तु न विन्दत्यलसः क्वचित्
For one who acts, results generally arise here, O Yudhishthira; but the lazy never attain complete fulfillment of results anywhere.