यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः ।मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥
yadi hy ahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ |mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||
- यदि · yadi
- if
- हि · hi
- indeed
- अहम् · aham
- I
- न · na
- not
- वर्तेयम् · varteyam
- should engage, proceed
- जातु · jātu
- ever, at all
- कर्मणि · karmaṇi
- in action
- अतन्द्रितः · atandritaḥ
- untiring, vigilant
- मम · mama
- my
- वर्त्म · vartma
- path
- अनुवर्तन्ते · anuvartante
- they follow
- मनुष्याः · manuṣyāḥ
- human beings
- पार्थ · pārtha
- O Partha
- सर्वशः · sarvaśaḥ
- in all ways, wholly
“For if I did not engage untiringly in action, O Partha, human beings would follow my path in all ways.”
— Original plain-language translation
The logic of verse 21 applied to God himself: divine idleness would license universal idleness. Krishna's vigilance keeps the world turning — compare 4.13-14 on his unattached authorship. The teacher practices exactly what he preaches about example.
— Reader's notes (original)