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Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

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Duty & actionChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.372.39

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.38

The duty of a kṣatriya and equanimity

सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।

ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ ३८ ॥

sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā

lābhālābhau jayājayau

tato yuddhāya yujyasva

naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi

Translation

Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat – and by so doing you shall never incur sin.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Act for Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1Fight without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat; then you will not incur sin.
  2. 2Kṛṣṇa wants Arjuna to fight. Acting for Kṛṣṇa brings no material reaction, while acting for personal enjoyment brings good or bad reactions.
  3. 3One who has completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa is no longer indebted or obliged to anyone else.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 2, Contents of the Gītā Summarized: the duty of a kṣatriya and equanimity.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Act dutifully without attachment to fruits.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: karma, sva-dharma.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 2.38 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to duty & action?

Practice

Do one task today purely because it is right.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 2 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.31The duty of a kṣatriya and equanimityBG 2.32The duty of a kṣatriya and equanimityBG 3.21Leadership by example

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Ask about BG 2.38 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.