Sanskrit
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः । अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ॥
evaṃ pravartitaṃ cakraṃ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ aghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṃ pārtha sa jīvati
Translation
He who on earth doth not follow the wheel thus revolving, sinful of life and rejoicing in the senses, he, O son of Pritha, liveth in vain.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The cakra, wheel, image names what verses 9-15 built: a self-sustaining cycle of food, rain, sacrifice, and action, rooted ultimately in Brahman. Refusing to turn with it isn’t framed as a private failing but as living “in vain” — closing the yajna argument that opened in verse 9 with a verdict rather than a further premise. Verses 17-18 immediately carve out the one real exception to this verdict.