Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 3, Verse 8
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः।
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः।।
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः।।
niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ
śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ
also searched as "niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hyakarmanah"
Translation
You must perform your obligatory action; for action is superior to non-action (Jñāna Yoga). For a person following non-action, not even the sustenance of the body is possible.
Vāṇi's rendering
Do the work that is yours. Action beats inaction — without it, even the body cannot go on.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नियतम्niyataṁ | the work laid down for you; what is assigned, not chosen |
| कुरुkuru | do it |
| कर्मkarma | action, work |
| त्वम्tvaṁ | you |
| कर्मkarma | action |
| ज्यायःjyāyaḥ | better, greater |
| हिhi | for, indeed (sandhi: hi + akarmaṇaḥ becomes hyakarmaṇaḥ) |
| अकर्मणःakarmaṇaḥ | than doing nothing |
| शरीर-यात्राśarīra-yātrā | the body's going on; its daily upkeep and travel through life |
| अपिapi | even (sandhi: yātrā + api becomes yātrāpi) |
| चca | and |
| तेte | for you, yours |
| नna | not |
| प्रसिद्ध्येत्prasiddhyed | would succeed, would be accomplished |
| अकर्मणःakarmaṇaḥ | for one who does nothing |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 8 mean?
It means the choice between acting and not acting is false. Krishna points at the body: it eats, breathes, moves, and none of that happens by itself. Since you will act anyway, do the niyatam karma — the work that belongs to you. Renunciation that looks like sitting out is simply action you have stopped taking responsibility for.
What does niyatam kuru karma tvam mean in the Gita?
Niyatam is not any work you fancy; it is the work already set before you by your place, your capacity, your moment. Kuru is a command — do it. Krishna is not asking Arjuna to invent a purpose. He is telling him to stop negotiating with the one that has already arrived at his feet.
Why does Krishna say action is better than inaction?
Because inaction is never actually inaction. The person who refuses to move still consumes, still depends, still leaves consequences behind. Krishna calls action jyāyaḥ — greater — not because busyness is holy, but because honest doing can be purified, offered, released. Sitting out cannot be purified. There is nothing there to hand over.
Does this verse mean renunciation is wrong?
No. It means renunciation of work is not the same as renunciation. What Krishna asks you to drop is the grip on results, not the tool in your hand. The monk sweeps, cooks, walks. So do you. The difference lies in who thinks he is the doer, not in how much gets done.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Arjuna wants to put the bow down and call it renunciation. Krishna cuts that off with the body itself: you cannot even keep breathing without acting. Every hour you sit still, something is being done — food grown, water carried, blood moving. Withdrawal is not a real option; it is only unacknowledged action, with the doing hidden from you. So the question was never whether to act, but which act is yours. Niyatam — the work assigned, the one nobody else is standing in front of. Do that. The stillness you want is not found by stopping; it is found inside the work you were given.