Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 16 (3.16)
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 16 (3.16)
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः । अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति | | ३-१६ | |
evaṁ pravartitaṁ chakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati
Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
- एवम्
(evam)— इस प्रकार(this wheel set in motion) - रवइत
(pravartitam)— रवइत(this wheel set in motion) - चर
(chakram)— चर(this wheel set in motion) -
njoined in nānuvartayatīha - अउवतयइ
(anuvartayati)— अउवतयइ(one who does not follow it here) - अहम्
(aham)— मैं(I) - यः
(yah)— जो(one who does not follow it here)
Line 2:
-
agayurindrijoined in aghāyurindriyārāmo - यः
(yah)— जो(one who does not follow it here) -
amojoined in aghāyurindriyārāmo - ओघ
(mogham)— ओघ(uselessly) - पार्थ
(Partha)— हे पार्थ(Arjuna) - सः
(sah)— शांति(that person lives) - इवइ
(jivati)— इवइ(that person lives)
English: Thus he who does not help the revolving wheel of worship, but instead leads a sinful life, rejoicing in the gratification of his senses, Arjuna, he breathes in vain.
Learnings from Shloka 16:
- Selfless action becomes sacrifice:: Work binds us when it is done only for personal gain. The same work frees us when it is offered as worship.
- Yajna sustains the world:: Krishna describes a cycle where humans, nature, and divine forces support one another.
- Giving and receiving must stay balanced:: Taking from the world without giving back disturbs harmony.
- Life is interconnected:: Food comes from rain, rain supports food, and sacrifice keeps the cycle of duty alive.
- Duty is larger than desire:: Karma Yoga asks us to act as contributors, not only as consumers.
- The Creator's order is based on cooperation:: Prosperity comes when each aspect of life nourishes the others.
- Greed breaks the wheel:: A person who enjoys without serving lives only for the senses and misses the purpose of action.
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Yajna is not only a fire ritual. Here it also means living as a contributor. If students enjoy the school garden but never water it, or if we use a shared space but never help care for it, we are only taking from the cycle. Krishna says that kind of life creates bondage.
Small acts matter because they train character. Returning a cart, helping after a gathering, serving without being asked, or doing a task quietly in the background are simple forms of yajna. They remind us that life is not only about what we receive, but also about what we return.
### Shlokas 17-24 **The necessity for action by the wise, and even by God Himself, for the good of the world.**