Shloka
सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत |
कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् ||३-२५||Transliteration
saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata .
kuryādvidvāṃstathāsaktaścikīrṣurlokasaṃgraham ||3-25||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
3.25. [Therefore] just as the unwise persons, being attached to action, do, O son of Prtha, so the wise should perform, [But] being unattached and desiring to hold the world together.
Shri Purohit Swami
3.25 As the ignorant act, because of their fondness for action, so should the wise act without such attachment, fixing their eyes, O Arjuna, only on the welfare of the world.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
3.23-25 Yadi etc. upto loka-sangraham. Further, if a well-in-formed person were to abandon action, that would create in the society, a split for bad in the form of being illrooted, becuase of the binding force - viz., the regard for a particular well-known theroy-being loosened. For, they are able neither to cast off their tendency of action nor to accupy the tradition (or stream) of wisdom. Conseently they become weak. Because these (common men) are not purified correct knowledge, therefore to break i.e., to shake their mind would be highly harmful for them. Hence, for their benefit, one should not disturb their mind. This [the Lord] says :
Sri Ramanuja
3.25 ‘The ignorant’ are those people who do not know the entire truth about the self; ‘attached to their work’ means they are inseparably yoked to work. Because of their incomplete knowledge of the self, they are not alified for Jnana Yoga which is of the nature of practising knowledge of the self. They are alified for Karma Yoga only. As they should practise Karma Yoga for the vision of the self in the same manner Karma Yoga should be practised by one who is recognised as virtuous, who is unattached to work by reason of the vision of the self, and who wishes that his conduct should give guidance to others in virtuous conduct. In this way he should protect the world from chaos by his example. Such a person, even though alified for Jnana Yoga, should practice Karma Yoga.
Sri Shankaracharya
3.25 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, yatha, as; some avidvamsah, unenlightened poele; kurvanti, act. saktah, with attachment; karmani, to work, (thinking) ‘The reward of this work will accrue to me’; tatha, so; should vidvan, the enlightened person, the knower of the Self; kuryat, act; asaktah, without attachment, remaining unattached. [Giving up the idea of agentship and the hankering for the rewards of actions to oneself.] Whay does he (the enlightened person) act like him (the former)? Listen to that: Cikirsuh, being desirous of achieving; lokasamgraham, prevention of people from going astray. ‘Neither for Me who am a knower of the Self, nor for any other (knower of the Self) who wants thus prevent people from going astray, is there any duty apart from working for the welfare of the world. Hence, the following advice is being given to such a knower of the Self:’
Swami Adidevananda
3.25 Just as the ignorant, attached to their work, act, O Arjuna, so too the learned should act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world.
Swami Gambirananda
3.25 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, as the unelightened poeple act with attachment to work, so should the enlightened person act, without attachment, being desirous of the prevention of people from going astray.
Swami Sivananda
3.25 As the ignorant men act from attachment to action, O Bharata (Arjuna), so should the wise act without attachment, wishing the welfare of the world.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
3.25 सक्ताः attached? कर्मणि to action? अविद्वांसः the ignorant? यथा as? कुर्वन्ति act? भारत O Bharata? कुर्यात् should act? विद्वान् the wise? तथा so? असक्तः unattached? चिकीर्षुः wishing? लोकसंग्रहम् the welfare of the world.Commentary The ignorant man works in expectation of fruits. He says? I will do such and such work and will get such and such fruit. But the wise man who knows the Self? serves not for his own end. He should so act that the world? following his example? would attain peace? harmony? purity of heart? divine light and knowledge. A wise man is one who knows the Self. (Cf.II.64III.19XVIII.49).