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Adhyāyas / Karma Yogaḥ / verse 21

Mūla — the verse

Gita Press numbering
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः। स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते
yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
Anuṣṭubh(!!) irregular in source

Translation

Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣya

Whatever a superior person does, another person does the same! Whatever they uphold as authority, an ordinary person follows that.

हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda

श्रेष्ठ पुरुष जैसा आचरण करता है, अन्य लोग भी वैसा ही अनुकरण करते हैं; वह पुरुष जो कुछ प्रमाण कर देता है, लोग भी उसका अनुसरण करते हैं।।

Pronunciation — Vaamshii

from Vaamshii
यद् यदा चर तिश् रेष्ठः
तत् तदे वेतरो जनः
स यत् प्रमाणङ् कुरुते (!!)
लोकस् तदनु वर्त ते
॥ २१ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →

Word by word

padārtha
yat yatwhatever
ācharatidoes
śhreṣhṭhaḥthe best
tat tatthat (alone)
evacertainly
itaraḥcommon
janaḥpeople
saḥthey
yatwhichever
pramāṇamstandard
kuruteperform
lokaḥworld
tatthat
anuvartatepursues

Themes

from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad Gītā

Meaning — Questions & Solutions

from Q&A with KnA
3.21“And yet I remain in action.”

“Fully established in Perfect Inaction, having attained the purpose of all action, wholly content, I have no need to act at all. Yet I engage in action, solely for the benefit of the world. How, and why?” First, by setting an example, like Janaka: for if such an exalted one as Kṛṣṇa were seen to do nothing, people would wrongly conclude, “Why should we act, when he himself does not?” Second, by acting, Kṛṣṇa adds the further benefit of pouring out his realised, infinite Joy and Wisdom to those who seek it.