Shloka
उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् |
सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः ||३-२४||Transliteration
utsīdeyurime lokā na kuryāṃ karma cedaham .
saṅkarasya ca kartā syāmupahanyāmimāḥ prajāḥ ||3-24||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
3.24. These worlds would perish if I were not to perform action; and I would be a cause of confusion; I would destroy these people.
Shri Purohit Swami
3.24 And if I were to refrain from action, the human race would be ruined; I should lead the world to chaos, and destruction would follow.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
3.24 See Comment under 3.25
Sri Ramanuja
3.24 If I do not do the work suitable to My station in life, likewise all the virtuous men also, neglecting their duties by following My example, would be destroyed on account of not performing their duties. That is, they will become lost. Thus I would be bringing about chaos among all virtuous men on account of My failure to conduct Myself as prescribed in the scriptures. Therefore I would be destroying all these people. Even so, if you, Arjuna, a son of Pandu and a brother of Yudhisthira and the foremost of the virtuous, claim to be alified for Jnana Yoga, then the virtuous aspirants, who do not know everything and who follow your way, without knowing their own competency, would give up practising Karma Yoga and will be lost. Therefore work should be done by one who is recognised as learned and worthy.
Sri Shankaracharya
3.24 Cet, if; aham, I; na kuryam, do not perform; karma, action; all ime, these; lokah, worlds; utsideyuh, will be ruined, owing to the obsence of work responsible for the maintenance of the worlds. Ca, and, futher; syam, I shall become; karta, the agent; sankarasya, of intermingling (of castes). Conseently, upahanyam, I shall be destroying; imah, these; prajah, beings. That is to say, I who am engaged in helping the creatures, shall be destroying them. This would be unbefitting of Me, who am God. ‘On the other, if, like Me, you or some one else possesses the conviction of having attained Perfection and is a knower of the Self, it is a duty of such a one, too, to help others even if there be no obligation on his own part.’
Swami Adidevananda
3.24 If I do not do work, these men would be lost; and I will be causing chaos in life and thery ruining all these people.
Swami Gambirananda
3.24 These worlds will be ruined if I do not perform action. And I shall become the agent of intermingling (of castes), and shall be destroying these beings.
Swami Sivananda
3.24 These worlds would perish if I did not perform action; I should be the author of confusion of castes and destruction of these beings.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
3.24 उत्सीदेयुः would perish? इमे these? लोकाः worlds? न not? कुर्याम् would do? कर्म action? चेत् if? अहम् I? सङ्करस्य of confusion of castes? च and? कर्ता author? स्याम् would be? उपहन्याम् would destroy? इमाःthese? प्रजाः beings.Commentary If I did not engage in action? people would also be inactive. They would not do their duties according to the Varnasrama Dharma (code of morals governing their own order and stage of life). Hence confusion of castes would arise. I would have to destroy these beings.