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अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव।मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन् सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि।।12.10।।

abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si mat-karma-paramo bhava mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 12, Verse 10
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
If you are unable to practice even this Abhyasa Yoga, be intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: if you are unable to practice this either, be intent on performing actions for Krishna's sake, even performing action for his sake, you will attain perfection, offering yet another, even more accessible fallback beneath the first one.

In life: sometimes even a second fallback is needed, a more accessible version of a more accessible version, before you find the entry point that's actually realistic for where you currently are.

Teaching: if the first fallback approach to a goal still feels too hard, look for an even simpler entry point beneath it, this verse models exactly that kind of graduated accessibility rather than only offering one difficulty level.

abhyāsein practice
apiif
asamarthaḥunable
asiyou
mat-karma paramaḥdevotedly work for me
bhavabe
mat-arthamfor my sake
apialso
karmāṇiwork
kurvanperforming
siddhimperfection
avāpsyasiyou shall achieve

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
12.10 अभ्यासे in practice? अपि also? असमर्थः not capable? असि (thou) art? मत्कर्मपरमः intent on doing actions for My sake? भव be? मदर्थम् for My sake? अपि also? कर्माणि actions? कुर्वन् by doing? सिद्धिम् perfection? अवाप्स्यसि thou shalt attain.Commentary Even if thou doest mee actions for My sake without practising Yoga thou shalt attain perfection. Thou shalt first attain purity of mind? then Yoga (concentration and meditation)? then knowledge and then ultimately perfection (Moksha or liberation). Serving humanity with Narayana Bhava (feeling that one is serving the Lord in all) is also doing actions for the sake of the Lord. such service should go hand in hand with worship of God and meditation.If you are not able to practise the Yoga of meditation mentioned in verse 8 or the Yoga of constant practice mentioned in verse 9? hear the glorious stories connected with the Lord by attending religious discourses? conducted by the devotees of the Lord? sing Kirtan and the praises of the Lord.Practise the nine kinds of Bhagavata Dharma (the nine modes of devotion). viz.? (1) hearing the Lilas (glorious and divine sports) of the Lord (Sravana)? (2) singing His Names (Kirtana)? (3) constant remembrance of the Lord and constant repetition of His Names or Mantras (Smarana)? (4) service of His feet (Padasevana)? (5) offering flowers in worship (Archana)? (6) doing prostrations to the Lord (Vandana)? (7) becoming His servant (Dasya)? (8) friendship with Him (Sakhya)? and (9) doing total selfsurrender to the Lord (Atmanivedana). (Cf.III.19XI.55)