3.23–24
Chapter 3, Verses 23–24
यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः। मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः৷৷ उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम्। सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः৷৷
yadi hyahaṅ na vartēyaṅ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ. mama vartmānuvartantē manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ৷৷ utsīdēyurimē lōkā na kuryāṅ karma cēdaham. saṅkarasya ca kartā syāmupahanyāmimāḥ prajāḥ৷৷
Translation
Verse 23
For were I not to act without ceasing, O prince, people would be glad to do likewise.
Verse 24
And if I were to refrain from action, the human race would be ruined; I should lead the world to chaos, and destruction would follow.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
Verse 23
यदि if, हि surely, अहम् I, न not, वर्तेयम् engage Myself in action, जातु ever, कर्मणि in action, अतन्द्रितः unwearied, मम My, वर्त्म path, अनुवर्तन्ते follow, मनुष्याः men, पार्थ O Partha, सर्वशः in every way. Commentary: If I remain inactive, people also will imitate Me and keep iet. They will all become Tamasic and pass into a state of inertia.
Verse 24
उत्सीदेयुः would perish, इमे these, लोकाः worlds, न not, कुर्याम् would do, कर्म action, चेत् if, अहम् I, सङ्करस्य of confusion of castes, च and, कर्ता author, स्याम् would be, उपहन्याम् would destroy, इमाः these, प्रजाः beings. Commentary: If I did not engage in action, people would also be inactive. They would not do their duties according to the Varnasrama Dharma (code of morals governing their own order and stage of life). Hence confusion of castes would arise. I would have to destroy these beings.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.