Bhagavad-gītā 4.12
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः। क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा।।4.12।।
kāṅkṣhantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ kṣhipraṁ hi mānuṣhe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā
Longing for success in action, in this world, (men) worship the gods. Because success, resulting from action, is, quickly attained in the human world.
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 |
|---|---|
| kāṅkṣhantaḥ | desiring |
| karmaṇām | material activities |
| siddhim | success |
| yajante | worship |
| iha | in this world |
| devatāḥ | the celestial gods |
| kṣhipram | quickly |
| hi | certainly |
| mānuṣhe | in human society |
| loke | within this world |
| siddhiḥ | rewarding |
| bhavati | manifest |
| karma-jā | from material activities |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through kāṅkṣhantaḥ (desiring), kṣhipram (quickly), and karma-jā (from material activities). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge that purifies action. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 4.12.
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: Follow the links among teaching lineage, divine appearance, action, knowledge, sacrifice and the teacher–student relationship.
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
Longing for success in action, in this world, (men) worship the gods
- 2
Because success, resulting from action, is, quickly attained in the human world
- 3
kāṅkṣhantaḥ: desiring
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Use the line starts: kāṅkṣhantaḥ karmaṇāṁ / kṣhipraṁ hi.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.12, 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 4.12 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 4.12 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 4.12 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.12, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition