अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः ।सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥
athaitad apy aśakto 'si kartuṃ mad-yogam āśritaḥ |sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||
- अथ · atha
- but if
- एतत् अपि · etat api
- even this
- अशक्तः असि · aśaktaḥ asi
- you are unable
- कर्तुम् · kartum
- to do
- मद्योगम् आश्रितः · mad-yogam āśritaḥ
- resting on union with me
- सर्वकर्मफलत्यागम् · sarva-karma-phala-tyāgam
- relinquishing the fruit of every act
- यतात्मवान् · yatātmavān
- self-controlled
“But if you are unable to do even this, then rest on union with me and, self-controlled, relinquish the fruit of every action.”
— Original plain-language translation
The lowest rung is still lofty: surrender the results of all work. This returns to the karma-yoga of Chapters 2–5 — the ladder's foot rests on the Gita's oldest teaching, so no one stands outside it.
— Reader's notes (original)