Step 4 of 7 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.

700 verses37 detailed

Or browse by chapter

Chapter

Chapter 4 · Transcendental Knowledge · 42 verses

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Duty & actionChapter 4 · Transcendental Knowledge

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 4.31

Sacrifice, discipline and knowledge

नायं लोकोऽस्त्ययज्ञस्य कुतोऽन्यः कुरुसत्तम ॥ ३१ ॥

nāyaṁ loko ’sty ayajñasya

kuto ’nyaḥ kuru-sattama

Translation

O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?

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

1Without sacrifice, one cannot live happily in this life, so how can one be happy in the next?
2Prabhupāda explains that sacrifice leads toward freedom from material bondage, and the highest perfection is to associate with the Supreme Lord.
3Practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which brings the highest happiness and solves all the problems of material existence.

In the story

Chapter 4, Transcendental Knowledge: sacrifice, discipline and knowledge.

Theme summary

Act dutifully without attachment to fruits.

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: karma, sva-dharma.

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

What does BG 4.31 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to duty & action?

Do one task today purely because it is right.

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

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

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

Ask about BG 4.31 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.