3.9
Chapter 3, Verse 9
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः। तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसंगः समाचर৷৷
yajñārthātkarmaṇō.nyatra lōkō.yaṅ karmabandhanaḥ. tadarthaṅ karma kauntēya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara৷৷
Translation
In this world people are fettered by action, unless it is performed as a sacrifice. Therefore, O Arjuna, let thy acts be done without attachment, as sacrifice only.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
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).
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.