Bhagavad-gītā 4.16
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः। तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्।।4.16।।
kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo ’pyatra mohitāḥ tat te karma pravakṣhyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣhyase ’śhubhāt
Even sages are bewildered, as to what is action and what is inaction. I shall therefore tell you what action is, by knowing which you will be freed from evil.
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 |
|---|---|
| kim | what |
| karma | action |
| kim | what |
| akarma | inaction |
| iti | thus |
| kavayaḥ | the wise |
| api | even |
| atra | in this |
| mohitāḥ | are confused |
| tat | that |
| te | to you |
| karma | action |
| pravakṣhyāmi | I shall explain |
| yat | which |
| jñātvā | knowing |
| mokṣhyase | you may free yourself |
| aśhubhāt | from inauspiciousness |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through kim (what), mohitāḥ (are confused), and aśhubhāt (from inauspiciousness). 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 4.16.
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
Even sages are bewildered, as to what is action and what is inaction
- 2
I shall therefore tell you what action is, by knowing which you will be freed from evil
- 3
kim: what
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture knowledge in action.
Link
Use the line starts: kiṁ karma / tat te.
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 4.16, 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 4.16 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 4.16 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 4.16 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 4.16, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition