Bhagavad-gītā 12.10
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव।मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन् सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि।।12.10।।
abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si mat-karma-paramo bhava mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi
If also thou art unable to practise Abhyâsa, be thou intent on doing actions -for My sake. Even by doing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| abhyāse | in practice |
| api | if |
| asamarthaḥ | unable |
| asi | you |
| mat-karma paramaḥ | devotedly work for me |
| bhava | be |
| mat-artham | for my sake |
| api | also |
| karmāṇi | work |
| kurvan | performing |
| siddhim | perfection |
| avāpsyasi | you shall achieve |
Use the word map to follow the relation among abhyāse (in practice), mat-artham (for my sake), and avāpsyasi (you shall achieve). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to loving devotion and the qualities of a devotee. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 12.10.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare approaches to worship and study the concrete qualities of a devotee across the chapter’s compact sequence.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
If also thou art unable to practise Abhyâsa, be thou intent on doing actions -for My sake
- 2
Even by doing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection
- 3
abhyāse: in practice
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
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Link
Use the line starts: abhyāse ’py / mad-artham api.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.10, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 12.10 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.10 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.10 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.10, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition