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Chapter 3 · Karma-yoga · 43 verses

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Soul & knowledgeChapter 3 · Karma-yoga
3.173.19

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 3.18

Self-realization and freedom from selfish need

नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन ।

न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ॥ १८ ॥

naiva tasya kṛtenārtho

nākṛteneha kaścana

na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu

kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ

Translation

A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

Self-Realized Life and Duty

  1. 1A self-realized person has nothing to gain from prescribed duties, no reason to avoid them, and no need to depend on others.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that only activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness remain obligatory; these activities fully meet such a person's obligations.
  3. 3Stay active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—it does not mean doing nothing.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 3, Karma-yoga: self-realization and freedom from selfish need.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 3.18 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 3.17Self-realization and freedom from selfish needBG 2.13The self endures bodily changeBG 4.34The humility of real inquiry

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

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 3.18 — 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.