Bhagavad Gita 3.26

Sanskrit

न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम् । जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्तः समाचरन् ॥3.26॥

Transliteration

na buddhibhedaṃ janayedajñānāṃ karmasaṅginām | joṣayetsarvakarmāṇi vidvānyuktaḥ samācaran ‖3.26‖

Meaning

“Let the wise not unsettle the minds of the ignorant who are attached to action; rather, acting with discipline, let the wise encourage them in all works.”

Key learning

Don't shake up the beliefs of people who aren't ready for deeper ideas. If you rip away what keeps someone going before they're ready, you leave them stuck, not free. The wise teach gently, by working alongside people and showing a better way, not by tearing things down.

How to apply this today

Resist the urge to pick apart what keeps other people motivated. Don't tell an eager young person that ambition is pointless; just work steadily beside them and let them notice. Don't dismantle a relative's simple faith with clever arguments. Do this: meet people inside their motivation and lift it, instead of breaking it.

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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