Bhagavad-gītā 3.17
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः। आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते।।3.17।।
yas tvātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛiptaśh cha mānavaḥ ātmanyeva cha santuṣhṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate
But the man who is devoted to the Self, and is satisfied with the Self, and content in the Self alone, he has no obligatory duty.
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 |
|---|---|
| yaḥ | who |
| tu | but |
| ātma-ratiḥ | rejoice in the self |
| eva | certainly |
| syāt | is |
| ātma-tṛiptaḥ | self-satisfied |
| cha | and |
| mānavaḥ | human being |
| ātmani | in the self |
| eva | certainly |
| cha | and |
| santuṣhṭaḥ | satisfied |
| tasya | his |
| kāryam | duty |
| na | not |
| vidyate | exist |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through yaḥ (who), ātmani (in the self), and vidyate (exist). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to work offered without possessiveness. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 3.17.
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: Distinguish action, duty, sacrifice, example, desire and attachment without treating karma-yoga as inactivity.
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
But the man who is devoted to the Self
- 2
is satisfied with the Self
- 3
content in the Self alone, he has no obligatory duty
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.17, 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 3.17 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 3.17 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 3.17 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.17, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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