Why the one who has nothing left to gain still works, and what sets his work apart.
The ignorant act because they are gripped by the work and by what they hope to get from it. The wise are not told to stop; they do the very same work, but without the clinging, so the action no longer binds them.
As the ignorant act with attachment to their work, Arjuna, so should the wise act, but without attachment, seeking the welfare of the world.
Having shown that the Lord himself keeps acting for the sake of the world, Krishna now turns the same counsel toward the knower, telling him to act as ordinary people do, only freed from attachment, so that he holds the world together.
Where they agreethe convergence
Across schools and centuries the commentators come to the same ground. These are the points they share, and the voices that hold each one.
Look at any two people doing one task. The ignorant one acts gripped by attachment, sure the fruit is his; the wise one does the same work in an entirely different spirit.
Across Advaita, Śuddhādvaita, Bhakti, Bhedābheda, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Dhanapati · Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara · Baladeva · Jñāneśvar · Sivananda · Ramsukhdas · Vallabha · BhāskaraIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 9 others’ words
The verse draws a direct comparison between two kinds of people. The 'avidvan' (the unwise, the one who does not know the Self) acts because he is attached to action and to its results; he thinks, 'the fruit of this action will be mine.' Krishna says the 'vidvan' (the wise one, the knower of the Self) should also act, but in a completely different inner spirit: unattached, free of any clinging to outcomes. The outer activity of the two looks identical; the inner posture is entirely different.
The whole teaching rests on one word, unattached. Drop the sense of being the doer and the craving for fruit, and the very same work no longer binds you.
Across Advaita, Bhakti, Śuddhādvaita, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Ānandagiri · Nīlakaṇṭha · Baladeva · Ramsukhdas · PuruṣottamaIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 5 others’ words
The single Sanskrit word that holds the whole teaching is 'asakta,' unattached. Krishna is not telling the knower to stop acting; he is telling him to act in the same outward way as everyone else, only without the sense of being the doer and without the craving for results. Several commentators draw the plain conclusion from this: what binds a person is never the action itself, but the inner attachment and the longing for fruit that ride along with it. Strip those away, and the very same work no longer binds.
The wise one has nothing left to gain, yet he keeps working to hold the world together, so that ordinary people, watching how he lives, stay steady on the path of dharma.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Rāmānuja · Vedānta Deśika · Dhanapati · Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara · Jñāneśvar · Sivananda · Tilak · Ramsukhdas · MadhusūdanaIn Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and 9 others’ words
The wise person's motive for continuing to act is 'loka-sangraha,' holding the world together, keeping society and its order intact. He no longer needs to act for himself, since he has nothing left to gain; he acts so that ordinary people, watching him, will keep doing their own duties and stay on the path of dharma. By living the example, the knower steadies the world. Krishna addresses Arjuna as 'Bharata,' which some take as a pointed reminder that he, as a leader of Bharata's line, is exactly the kind of exemplary person whose conduct others will copy.
Since others quietly take their cue from him, it is not enough that his work look the same; let his conduct stay genuinely in accord with what is right, leading people toward dharma and never away.
Across Bhakti, Viśiṣṭādvaita, and the modern voicesRamsukhdas · Jñāneśvar · Vedānta Deśika · SivanandaIn Ramsukhdas, Jñāneśvar, and 2 others’ words
Because the knower acts precisely so that others will follow his example, it is not enough that his action merely look the same as theirs. The conduct he models has to be genuinely in accord with scripture and dharma. If he acted in a way that pulled people away from the right path, the example would do harm. So the wise one carefully acts within the codes, leading people to act likewise, and giving no ground for anyone to suspect he is different from the ordinary pattern.
This is the shared ground; it can be carried as it is. Below is where they differ.
Where they differthe divergence
Advaita Vedānta, in their fuller words
These commentators read the verse against the backdrop of the previous lines, where the Lord himself acts for the world's sake. A natural objection arises: it may be fine for the Lord to act for loka-sangraha, since he has no conceit of agency, but for an individual soul, acting for the world could revive the sense 'I am the doer' and thereby overpower his hard-won knowledge. The answer here is that the knower acts exactly as the Lord does, holding firmly to non-attachment and the absence of any sense of agency or aim at fruit. For such a knower of the Self there is, in truth, nothing that needs to be done for his own sake; whatever he does is purely for the holding-together of the world. Hence this teaching is given specifically to the knower.
Viśiṣṭādvaita, in their fuller words
These commentators take the word 'avidvan' with unusual care. The unwise person here is not just any worldly being chasing pleasures; he is one whose knowledge of the self is 'incomplete' (akrtsna-vit), and who is therefore qualified for the discipline of action (karma-yoga) but not yet for the discipline of knowledge (jnana-yoga). Such a person does karma-yoga in order to attain the vision of the self. The 'vidvan' has complete knowledge of the self and is even fit for the discipline of knowledge, yet he sets aside his own higher fitness and follows the path suitable for ordinary people, in order to protect the world. The point of the comparison is not loose illustration: the wise one is to act in the precise manner that, watching him, others will be moved to perform their duties, and so the very 'gathering' of the world (loka-sangraha) means settling the firm determination of dharma for exemplary people, not mere amusement.
Śuddhādvaita, in their fuller words
This commentator gives the wise one's continued action a distinctly devotional and compassionate spring. The knower acts not from cold duty but out of 'krpa,' compassion, his own mercy mirroring the Lord's mercy. Because of this inner compassion, the work he does carries a savour, a quality, that the worldly person's identical action does not possess. The difference between the wise and the unwise is therefore not only the absence of attachment but the presence of a loving, merciful motive that lifts the action itself.
Bhedābheda, in their fuller words
This commentator names a different goal for the knower's action than most. Where others say the wise one acts simply to hold the world together while remaining personally free, here the man of knowledge acts 'with great zeal' and specifically 'for the sake of release from the things that are good and bad,' that is, to be freed from the binding consequences of both good and bad deeds. The action is energetic and aimed at liberation from the whole tangle of merit and demerit.
Bhakti, in their fuller words
Within the devotional reading, the knower's reason for continuing to act is compassion (krpa) for ordinary people. Even the one established in knowledge of the self must keep doing karma out of mercy toward others, for the sake of holding the world together. The accent falls on the warmth of the motive: the wise one stoops to act, though he needs nothing, because he cares for those still bound to the world.
A few questions to carry
These ask for understanding, not recall; each answer is settled by the commentary itself.
For a second sitting
Carry this with youwhat stays
Look closely at your own work and you will find the teaching of this verse waiting there. The same task can be done in two completely different inner spirits. One person acts gripped by 'I am the doer' and by the hunger for a particular result, some gain, some recognition, some heaven; that grip is the very thing that binds. Another person does the identical task, but releases the clinging and the demand for a personal payoff, acting instead so that the world around them is held together and steadied. The difference is invisible from the outside and total on the inside. So you need not abandon your duties to be free. Keep doing them, but loosen the inner knot of attachment and the craving for fruit. And remember the second half of the warning: because others quietly take their cue from how you live, let your conduct stay genuinely in accord with what is right, so that your example leads people toward dharma rather than away from it.
You need not set down your duties to be free; keep doing the work that is yours, but loosen the inner knot of attachment and the demand for a reward, and let how you live quietly steady those around you.
Read deeper
Everything a full study holds, folded below.
Word by word
All the commentary, woven together
The commentary, woven together
machine-assisted draft, pending review
Convergence
he verse draws a direct comparison between two kinds of people. The 'avidvan' (the unwise, the one who does not know the Self) acts because he is attached to action and to its results; he thinks, 'the fruit of this action will be mine.' Krishna says the 'vidvan' (the wise one, the knower of the Self) should also act, but in a completely different inner spirit: unattached, free of any clinging to outcomes. The outer activity of the two looks identical; the inner posture is entirely different.
Braided from 11 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Baladeva · Sant Jñāneśvar · Swami Sivananda · Swami Ramsukhdas · Vallabhācārya · Śrī Bhāskara
The single Sanskrit word that holds the whole teaching is 'asakta,' unattached. Krishna is not telling the knower to stop acting; he is telling him to act in the same outward way as everyone else, only without the sense of being the doer and without the craving for results. Several commentators draw the plain conclusion from this: what binds a person is never the action itself, but the inner attachment and the longing for fruit that ride along with it. Strip those away, and the very same work no longer binds.
Braided from 7 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrī Ānandagiri · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha · Śrīla Baladeva · Swami Ramsukhdas · Śrī Puruṣottama
The wise person's motive for continuing to act is 'loka-sangraha,' holding the world together, keeping society and its order intact. He no longer needs to act for himself, since he has nothing left to gain; he acts so that ordinary people, watching him, will keep doing their own duties and stay on the path of dharma. By living the example, the knower steadies the world. Krishna addresses Arjuna as 'Bharata,' which some take as a pointed reminder that he, as a leader of Bharata's line, is exactly the kind of exemplary person whose conduct others will copy.
Braided from 11 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Rāmānujācārya · Vedānta Deśika · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Sant Jñāneśvar · Swami Sivananda · Lokmanya Tilak · Swami Ramsukhdas · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī
Because the knower acts precisely so that others will follow his example, it is not enough that his action merely look the same as theirs. The conduct he models has to be genuinely in accord with scripture and dharma. If he acted in a way that pulled people away from the right path, the example would do harm. So the wise one carefully acts within the codes, leading people to act likewise, and giving no ground for anyone to suspect he is different from the ordinary pattern.
Swami Ramsukhdas · Sant Jñāneśvar · Vedānta Deśika · Swami Sivananda
Divergence
Advaita Vedānta
These commentators read the verse against the backdrop of the previous lines, where the Lord himself acts for the world's sake. A natural objection arises: it may be fine for the Lord to act for loka-sangraha, since he has no conceit of agency, but for an individual soul, acting for the world could revive the sense 'I am the doer' and thereby overpower his hard-won knowledge. The answer here is that the knower acts exactly as the Lord does, holding firmly to non-attachment and the absence of any sense of agency or aim at fruit. For such a knower of the Self there is, in truth, nothing that needs to be done for his own sake; whatever he does is purely for the holding-together of the world. Hence this teaching is given specifically to the knower.
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī
Viśiṣṭādvaita
These commentators take the word 'avidvan' with unusual care. The unwise person here is not just any worldly being chasing pleasures; he is one whose knowledge of the self is 'incomplete' (akrtsna-vit), and who is therefore qualified for the discipline of action (karma-yoga) but not yet for the discipline of knowledge (jnana-yoga). Such a person does karma-yoga in order to attain the vision of the self. The 'vidvan' has complete knowledge of the self and is even fit for the discipline of knowledge, yet he sets aside his own higher fitness and follows the path suitable for ordinary people, in order to protect the world. The point of the comparison is not loose illustration: the wise one is to act in the precise manner that, watching him, others will be moved to perform their duties, and so the very 'gathering' of the world (loka-sangraha) means settling the firm determination of dharma for exemplary people, not mere amusement.
Rāmānujācārya · Vedānta Deśika
Śuddhādvaita
This commentator gives the wise one's continued action a distinctly devotional and compassionate spring. The knower acts not from cold duty but out of 'krpa,' compassion, his own mercy mirroring the Lord's mercy. Because of this inner compassion, the work he does carries a savour, a quality, that the worldly person's identical action does not possess. The difference between the wise and the unwise is therefore not only the absence of attachment but the presence of a loving, merciful motive that lifts the action itself.
Vallabhācārya
Bhedabheda
This commentator names a different goal for the knower's action than most. Where others say the wise one acts simply to hold the world together while remaining personally free, here the man of knowledge acts 'with great zeal' and specifically 'for the sake of release from the things that are good and bad,' that is, to be freed from the binding consequences of both good and bad deeds. The action is energetic and aimed at liberation from the whole tangle of merit and demerit.
Śrī Bhāskara
Bhakti
Within the devotional reading, the knower's reason for continuing to act is compassion (krpa) for ordinary people. Even the one established in knowledge of the self must keep doing karma out of mercy toward others, for the sake of holding the world together. The accent falls on the warmth of the motive: the wise one stoops to act, though he needs nothing, because he cares for those still bound to the world.
Vallabhācārya · Śrīdhara Svāmī
A Seeker Asks
If the wise person and the ignorant person are doing the exact same outward action, what real difference does the inner attitude make, and why should I trust that it changes anything?
The commentators are emphatic that the difference is real even though it is invisible. The outer form of the action is deliberately the same in both cases, but the inner 'bhava,' the inner posture, differs entirely: the unwise act gripped by the sense of being the doer and by longing for the fruit, while the wise act free of both.
Swami Ramsukhdas · Śrī Puruṣottama · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrīla Baladeva
What makes this more than a feeling is the conclusion several commentators draw directly from the verse: the thing that actually binds a person is not the action at all, but the attachment and the craving for results woven into it. Remove those, and the very same work that would have bound someone else leaves the wise one free. So the inner attitude is not a private mood; it is the precise factor that decides whether action chains you or releases you.
Swami Ramsukhdas · Śaṅkarācārya · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha
And the sameness of the outer action is itself purposeful, not accidental. The wise one keeps acting like everyone else precisely so that ordinary people, watching, will keep doing their own duties and stay within dharma. The matching outward form serves the world; the differing inner form keeps the doer free. Both are doing their work, and that is exactly the point.
Rāmānujācārya · Sant Jñāneśvar · Swami Sivananda · Swami Ramsukhdas
Contemplation
Look closely at your own work and you will find the teaching of this verse waiting there. The same task can be done in two completely different inner spirits. One person acts gripped by 'I am the doer' and by the hunger for a particular result, some gain, some recognition, some heaven; that grip is the very thing that binds. Another person does the identical task, but releases the clinging and the demand for a personal payoff, acting instead so that the world around them is held together and steadied. The difference is invisible from the outside and total on the inside. So you need not abandon your duties to be free. Keep doing them, but loosen the inner knot of attachment and the craving for fruit. And remember the second half of the warning: because others quietly take their cue from how you live, let your conduct stay genuinely in accord with what is right, so that your example leads people toward dharma rather than away from it.
Sit with this · Swami Ramsukhdas
All the translations and commentary
Pull up a chair.
You have come to sit with this verse. When you are ready to hear the translators and the commentators in full, tap a name in The seating.