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यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः। तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसंगः समाचर।।3.9।।

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samāchara

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 3, Verse 9
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform actions for that sake alone, free from attachment.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: action done as offering doesn't bind you, action done purely for yourself does, this is the first time the chapter names the actual mechanism of bondage.

In life: work done only for personal gain tends to leave you more anxious and entangled than work done in service of something bigger than your own outcome.

Teaching: before starting something, ask who or what this is really for. Reframing it as offering, to a purpose, a person, a standard, changes your relationship to the outcome.

yajña-arthātfor the sake of sacrifice
karmaṇaḥthan action
anyatraelse
lokaḥmaterial world
ayamthis
karma-bandhanaḥbondage through one’s work
tatthat
arthamfor the sake of
karmaaction
kaunteyaArjun, the son of Kunti
mukta-saṅgaḥfree from attachment
samācharaperform properly

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
3.9 यज्ञार्थात् for the sake of sacrifice? कर्मणः of action? अन्यत्र otherwise? लोकः the world? अयम् this? कर्मबन्धनः bound by action? तदर्थम् for that sake? कर्म action? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? मुक्तसंगः free from attachment? समाचार perform.Commentary Yajna means sacrifice or religious rite or any unselfish action done with a pure motive. It means also Isvara. The Taittiriya Samhita (of the Veda) says Yajna verily is Vishnu (174). If anyone does actions for the sake of the Lord? he is not bound. His heart is purified by performing actions for the sake of the Lord. Where this spirit of unselfishness does not govern the action? it will bind one to Samsara however good or glorious it may be. (Cf.II.48).