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नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते। स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात्।।2.40।।

nehābhikrama-nāśho ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyate svalpam apyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 2, Verse 40
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
In this, there is no loss of effort, nor is there any harm produced, nor any transgression. Even a little of this knowledge protects one from great fear.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: 'even a little of this dharma saves one from great fear' is a modest, almost domestic promise after all the grand claims about the eternal Self.

In life: you don't need to master a discipline for it to help you, a small consistent practice already changes something.

Teaching: don't wait until you can do a practice perfectly to start benefiting from it. Small and imperfect, repeated, outperforms big and abandoned.

nanot
ihain this
abhikramaefforts
nāśhaḥloss
astithere is
pratyavāyaḥadverse result
nanot
vidyateis
su-alpama little
apieven
asyaof this
dharmasyaoccupation
trāyatesaves
mahataḥfrom great
bhayātdanger

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
2.40 न not? इह in this? अभिक्रमनाशः loss of effort? अस्ति is? प्रत्यवायः production of contrary results? न not? विद्यते is? स्वल्पम् very little? अपि even? अस्य of this? धर्मस्य duty? त्रायते protects? महतः (from) great? भयात् fear.Commentary If a religious ceremony is left uncompleted? it is a wastage as the performer cannot realise the fruits. But it is not so in the case of Karma Yoga because every action causes immediate purification of the heart.In agriculture there is uncertainty. The farmer may till the land? plough and sow the seed but he may not get a crop if there is no rain. This is not so in Karma Yoga. There is no uncertainty at all. Further? there is no chance of any harm coming out of it. In the case of medical treatment great harm will result from the doctors injudicious treatment if he uses a wrong medicine. But it is not so in the case of Karma Yoga. Anything done? however little it may be? in this path of Yoga? the Yoga of action? saves one from great fear of being caught in the wheel of birth and death. Lord Krishna here extols Karma Yoga in order to create interest in Arjuna in this Yoga.