3.19
तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर ।
असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः ॥
tasmād asaktaḥ satataṃ kāryaṃ karma samācara
asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is speaking, and tasmāt (तस्मात्) turns from the exception back to the man who still has work.
The verse
Therefore always perform the action that must be done, unattached; the person who performs action unattached reaches the highest.
नेपालीमा
त्यसैले सधैँ गर्नुपर्ने कर्म आसक्ति नराखी गर। आसक्ति नराखी कर्म गर्ने मानिस परममा पुग्छ।
Where it sits
The exception has been stated so it cannot be claimed too early, and for the one who still has kāryam (कार्यम्) the way through is the act done without sticking to it. Janaka (जनक) comes next, a man who did reach the end by action.
Split: तस्मात् + असक्तः + सततम् + कार्यम् + कर्म + समाचर + असक्तः + हि + आचरन् + कर्म + परम् + आप्नोति + पूरुषः
tasmāt + asaktaḥ + satatam + kāryam + karma + samācara + asaktaḥ + hi + ācaran + karma + param + āpnoti + pūruṣaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| तस्मात् | tasmāt | indeclinable | therefore. |
| असक्तः | asaktaḥ | nominative | unattached. |
| सततम् | satatam | accusative, adverbial | always, continually. |
| कार्यम् | kāryam | accusative | the thing that must be done. |
| कर्म | karma | accusative | action. |
| समाचर | samācara | imperative, 2nd singular | perform. |
| असक्तः | asaktaḥ | nominative | unattached. The same word, now describing the doer of the statement. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for. |
| आचरन् | ācaran | present participle, nominative | performing. |
| कर्म | karma | accusative | action. |
| परम् | param | accusative | the highest. |
| आप्नोति | āpnoti | present, 3rd singular of āp (आप्) | he reaches. |
| पूरुषः | pūruṣaḥ | nominative | a person. The first vowel is held long, as this line recites it. |
The phrases
तस्मात् असक्तः सततम् कार्यम् कर्म समाचर tasmād asaktaḥ satataṃ kāryaṃ karma samācara is the command for everyone who is not the man of 3.17. Therefore always perform the action that must be done, unattached. tasmāt (तस्मात्) before the vowel is तस्माद tasmād.
असक्तः हि आचरन् कर्म परम् आप्नोति पूरुषः asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ is the promise attached to that manner. The person who performs action unattached reaches the highest. असक्तः + हि asaktaḥ + hi is asakto hi (असक्तो हि). हि + आचरन् hi + ācaran is hy ācaran (ह्याचरन्). परम् + आप्नोति param + āpnoti is param āpnoti (परमाप्नोति).
Sanskrit in this line
pūruṣaḥ (पूरुषः) is puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) with the first vowel held long. The line wants that long syllable. Do not shorten it when you recite. The same long vowel will come back at 3.36, pūruṣaḥ (पूरुषः), when Arjuna (अर्जुन) asks what drives a person.
Say it back
The command and the result, with asaktaḥ (असक्तः) in both. If the second half keeps the result and loses asaktaḥ (असक्तः), it is a different teaching.