Bhagavad Gita quotes, verse by verse

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदा चन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadā cana | mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi ||

Your right is to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruit of action be your motive, and do not cling to inaction either.

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनंजय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥

yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanaṃjaya | siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||

Established in yoga, do your work, letting go of attachment, the same in success and failure. Evenness is called yoga.

बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥

buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛte | tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ||

One whose understanding is yoked leaves behind both good and evil deeds. So yoke yourself to yoga: yoga is skill in action.

नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः । शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिध्येदकर्मणः ॥

niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ | śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasidhyed akarmaṇaḥ ||

Do the work that is yours: action is better than inaction. Without action you could not even keep your body alive.

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् । स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः ॥

śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt | svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ ||

Better your own duty, even done imperfectly, than another's duty done well. Better to die in your own duty: another's duty brings danger.

कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः । स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥

karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ | sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt ||

Whoever sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among people; yoked, that person does all their work.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet | ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ ||

Lift yourself by yourself; do not let yourself sink. You alone are your own friend, and you alone your own enemy.

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः । अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ | anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat ||

The self is a friend to the one who has mastered the self by the self; but to one who has not, the self acts like an enemy.

युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु । युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥

yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu | yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkhahā ||

For one who is moderate in food and recreation, measured in effort at work, measured in sleep and waking, yoga destroys sorrow.

यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता । योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ॥

yathā dīpo nivātastho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā | yogino yatacittasya yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ ||

A lamp in a windless place does not flicker: that is the image given for the yogi of mastered mind, practising the yoga of the self.

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् । ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥

yato yato niścarati manaś cañcalam asthiram | tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṃ nayet ||

Wherever the restless, unsteady mind wanders off, from there draw it back and bring it under the self's control.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् । अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥

asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam | abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate ||

No doubt, mighty-armed one, the mind is restless and hard to restrain. But by practice, son of Kuntī, and by detachment, it is held.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदा चिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥

na jāyate mriyate vā kadā cin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ | ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ||

It is never born and never dies; it has not come to be and will not cease to be. Unborn, constant, eternal, ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि । तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णान्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥

vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi | tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī ||

As a person throws off worn-out clothes and takes on others that are new, so the embodied one throws off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः । न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥

nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ | na cainaṃ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ ||

Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, wind does not dry it.

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥

mātrāsparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata ||

Contacts with the world, son of Kuntī, bring cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go, they do not last: endure them, Bhārata.

विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि । शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥

vidyāvinayasaṃpanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini | śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||

The wise see the same in a learned and courteous brahmin, in a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन । सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo 'rjuna | sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ sa yogī paramo mataḥ ||

The one who, by comparison with oneself, sees the same everywhere, in pleasure or in pain, Arjuna, is held to be the highest yogi.

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहंकारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥

adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca | nirmamo nirahaṃkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||

Without hatred for any being, friendly and compassionate, free of mine and of ego, the same in sorrow and joy, patient.

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते । तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥

ananyāś cintayanto māṃ ye janāḥ paryupāsate | teṣāṃ nityābhiyuktānāṃ yogakṣemaṃ vahāmy aham ||

Those who worship me with no other thought, always united with me: I carry what they need and keep what they have.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति । तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥

patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati | tad ahaṃ bhaktyupahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||

A leaf, a flower, a fruit, water: whoever offers it to me with love, that offering of love from a pure heart I accept.

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु । मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥

manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṃ namaskuru | mām evaiṣyasi satyaṃ te pratijāne priyo 'si me ||

Keep your mind on me, be devoted to me, worship me, bow to me: you will come to me. I promise you truly, for you are dear to me.

सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज । अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥

sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja | ahaṃ tvā sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ ||

Letting go of every duty, come to me alone for refuge. I will free you from every wrong. Do not grieve.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata | abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham ||

Whenever dharma declines, Bhārata, and adharma rises, then I bring myself forth.

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् । धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ॥

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām | dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge ||

To protect the good, to destroy those who do evil, to establish dharma firmly, I come into being age after age.

कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः । ऋतेऽपि त्वा न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः ॥

kālo 'smi lokakṣayakṛt pravṛddho lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ | ṛte 'pi tvā na bhaviṣyanti sarve ye 'vasthitāḥ pratyanīkeṣu yodhāḥ ||

I am Time, grown mighty, the destroyer of worlds, come forth to sweep the worlds away. Even without you, none of the warriors drawn up in the opposing ranks will survive.