1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 -Karma Yoga - Sloka 17

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Atman is beyond Action

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 -Karma Yoga - Sloka 17

Sita with Luv & Kush @ Valmiki Ashram, Bittoor

Yah tu atma ratih eva syat atma truptah cha manasah I

Atmani eva cha samtushtah tasya karyam na vidhyate II sloka 17

यः तु आत्म रतिः एव स्यात् आत्म तृप्तः च मनसः ।

आत्मनि एव च संतुष्टः तस्य कार्यं न विध्यते ।। श्लोक १७ 

But the man who rejoices in the self, is satisfied with the self, and is centred in the self, for him verily there is no obligatory duty


Prakriti or nature is constituted of karma. But there is no karma whatsoever in Atman. Actionlessness and Atman are one and the same. Mind is in fact a phase of Prakriti. Karma is therefore  going on constantly in it. But there is a speciality in the functioning of the mind. When it impinges on the external world with the aid of the senses or even without their aid, its activities are on the increase. But when it revolves back on the self or Atman, its activities  automatically diminish. The last of all its activities is to get established in Atman. The river is active until it reaches the ocean. On merging in it, its functioning is over. Likewise the functioning of the mind is over in its being resolved in Atman. Bliss is the characteristic of Atman. That mind which is set in the self is therefore ever satisfied, pacified and blissful. The finale of all activities is for the mind to rest in Atman. All beings are tending towards this goal consciously or unconsciously. To the mind merged in Atman, there is no duty.

The minute hand and hour hand in the clock are interrelated. Though they appear separate, they get united also hourly. The jivatman and the Paramatman seem separate. In time they get united.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa