Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 1 Meaning
Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O Kesava, doest Thou ask me to engage in this terrible action?
BG 3.1
अर्जुन उवाच ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन। तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव
arjuna uvācha jyāyasī chet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana tat kiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁ niyojayasi keśhava
Meaning
Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O Kesava, doest Thou ask me to engage in this terrible action?
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Explanation & Life Application
This verse from Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita highlights a practical insight: Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O Kesava, doest Thou ask me to engage in this terrible action?.
In The Yoga of Action (Karma Yoga), Krishna explains The path of selfless action, performing one's duty without attachment to results.
— Explained by the Nitya Team
Chapter Context
The path of selfless action, performing one's duty without attachment to results.
Key themes in this chapter include Action, Duty, Selflessness, Work.
When to Apply This Verse
- •When you need steadiness while dealing with action
- •When practicing duty amid uncertainty
- •When applying selflessness to real-life choices
Verse FAQs
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Related Verses
BG 3.5
Verily, no one can remain for even a moment without performing action; for everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by the qualities born of Nature.
BG 3.8
Perform your bounden duty, for action is superior to inaction, and even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for you through inaction.
BG 1.1
Dhritarashtra said, "What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together, eager for battle, on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?"
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