यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः ।तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ॥
yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṃ karmabandhanaḥ |tadarthaṃ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara ||
- यज्ञार्थात् · yajñārthāt
- for the sake of sacrifice
- कर्मणः · karmaṇaḥ
- than action
- अन्यत्र · anyatra
- otherwise, elsewhere
- लोकः · lokaḥ
- the world, a person
- अयम् · ayam
- this
- कर्मबन्धनः · karmabandhanaḥ
- bound by action
- तदर्थम् · tadartham
- for that sake
- कौन्तेय · kaunteya
- O son of Kunti (Arjuna)
- मुक्तसङ्गः · muktasaṅgaḥ
- free from attachment
- समाचर · samācara
- perform, carry out
“Except for action done as sacrifice, this world is bound by action. For that sake, O son of Kunti, perform your work free from attachment.”
— Original plain-language translation
The key that unlocks the chapter: work done as yajña — offering, not grasping — does not bind. All other work, done for the self, forges chains. Krishna will now widen yajña from ritual into the whole cosmic exchange sustaining life.
— Reader's notes (original)