Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingTranslation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaO scion of the Bharata dynasty, as the unenlightened people act with attachment to work, so should the enlightened person act, without attachment, desiring to prevent people from going astray.
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
हे भारत ! कर्म में आसक्त हुए अज्ञानीजन जैसे कर्म करते हैं वैसे ही विद्वान् पुरुष अनासक्त होकर, लोकसंग्रह (लोक कल्याण) की इच्छा से कर्म करे।।
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from VaamshiiWord by word
padārthaThemes
from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad GītāMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnATo live as a “sane,” ordinary human in the world, the Wise one must appear to do the very same actions — but now subtly unattached (tathā, so-and-so, yet asakta, unattached) — purely for the general good. Such realised seers should never rush to debunk people's illusions and show them the raw truth outright; it may be wasted, or may even rebound. History gives many examples of Seers who were rebuked, abused, hounded and even tortured by the “sane” public for speaking the uncomfortable truth. So the wise one does better to keep silent, and to correct gently and gradually, if the others are willing.