Home · Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3: Karma Yoga · Verse 16

Karma Yoga · The Yoga of Action

Bhagavad Gita 3.16

Sanskrit

एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः । अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ॥3.16॥

Transliteration

evaṃ pravartitaṃ cakraṃ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ | aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṃ pārtha sa jīvati ‖3.16‖

Meaning

One who does not follow the wheel thus set in motion, O Partha, sinful, delighting in the senses, lives in vain.

Key learning

If you only take from the world and never give your part back, your life ends up feeling empty. A life spent only consuming, chasing one pleasure after another while contributing nothing, wastes itself. Joining in and giving back is what makes a life count.

How to apply this today

Ask yourself: where am I adding something, and where am I just taking? Endless scrolling, buying, and watching with no creating or helping is the warning sign. Fix it simply: for every area you take from, find one way to give back. Do this: pick one thing you only consume and start contributing to it too.

Theme: The Yoga of Action

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3: Karma Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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