Verse 3.19

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 3.19:

तस्माद् असक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर ।
असक्तो ह्य् आचरन् कर्म परम् आप्नोति पूरुषः ॥ १९ ॥

tasmād asaktaḥ satataṃ kāryaṃ karma samācara |
asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ || 19 ||

tasmāt–therefore; asaktaḥ–without attachment; satatam–always; kāryam–that which ought to be done; karma–work; samācara–perform nicely; asaktaḥ–without attachment; hi–because; ācaran–performing; karma–prescribed duties; param–liberation; āpnoti–attains; pūruṣaḥ–a man.

Therefore, always perform your prescribed duties without attach-ment. By working in this way, a person attains liberation from the endless cycle of birth and death.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“O Arjuna, you are not qualified to be on the platform of jñāna, but since you are a man of proper wisdom, you have more qualification than to perform selfish fruitive action (kāmya-karma). Therefore, perform selfless niṣkāma-karma only.” The verse beginning with tasmāt is spoken for this reason. Kāryam means ‘that which is prescribed as an obligatory duty’. After performing that prescribed duty, one attains supreme liberation.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

By always performing self-less action, the heart becomes purified. When the practitioner’s heart is purified, he attains jñāna, by which he can attain liberation. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, “While engaging in karma, one attains transcendental bhakti, which is the mature state of karma-yoga. This has been called liberation here.”