Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 3, Verse 20
कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः।
लोकसंग्रहमेवापि संपश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि।।
लोकसंग्रहमेवापि संपश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि।।
karmaṇaiva hi sansiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ
loka-saṅgraham evāpi sampaśyan kartum arhasi
also searched as "karmanaiva hi sansiddhim asthita janakadayah"
Translation
Indeed, Janaka and others reached perfection through Karma Yoga alone. Even recognizing its necessity for guiding the world, you must perform action.
Vāṇi's rendering
Janaka and others reached perfection through action alone. For the sake of the world, you too must act.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कर्मणाkarmaṇā | by action, through work done |
| एवeva | alone, only (joined to the previous word as karmaṇaiva) |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| संसिद्धिम्sansiddhim | perfection, complete fulfilment |
| आस्थिताःāsthitāḥ | reached and stood firm in |
| जनकjanaka | Janaka, the king of Mithilā who ruled and was free |
| आदयःādayaḥ | and others like him (sandhi: janaka + ādayaḥ) |
| लोकloka | the world, people |
| संग्रहम्saṅgraham | holding together, keeping steady |
| एवeva | indeed, even |
| अपिapi | also (sandhi: eva + api) |
| संपश्यन्sampaśyan | seeing clearly, keeping in view |
| कर्तुम्kartum | to act, to do |
| अर्हसिarhasi | you ought, it is fitting for you |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 20 mean?
It means freedom was never won by walking away from work. Janaka reached saṁsiddhi while governing, and Krishna holds him up as proof. Then he adds a second reason for Arjuna to act: the world steadies itself by watching someone act rightly. Both reasons point the same way — stay in the work.
What does karmanaiva hi sansiddhim asthita janakadayah mean?
Janaka and others like him arrived at perfection through action alone — karmaṇā eva, by work and nothing else. The line is an answer to a suspicion Arjuna already carries: that the deep life happens somewhere quieter than his. Krishna answers with a king's name, not an argument.
Who was Janaka and why does Krishna mention him?
Janaka was a king of Mithilā, Sītā's father, famed for ruling fully and clinging to nothing. Krishna names him because Arjuna needs a precedent shaped like his own life — someone with power, duties and consequences, who was free inside all of it. The example does the persuading.
What does loka-sangraha mean here?
It means holding the world together — keeping people steady on their path. Krishna tells Arjuna that even if he needed nothing for himself, others are shaped by what he does. Your ordinary conduct is being read by someone who will never mention it. That alone is reason enough to act well.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna names a king. Janaka ruled a kingdom, judged disputes, raised a daughter, and was free — not by leaving the throne but by sitting on it without grasping. That is the precedent Arjuna is handed: not a hermit, a householder with a crown. Then the second reason, larger than the first. What you do is watched. People steady themselves by the sight of someone standing steady, and they never announce that they are watching. Someone is taking their measure from how you carry your ordinary day. Act well for their sake, if you cannot yet do it for your own.