Sanskrit
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः । शरीरयात्राऽपि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ॥
niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ
Translation
Perform thou right action, for, action is superior to inaction, and, inactive, even the maintenance of thy body would not be possible.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A blunt, almost pragmatic close to the argument opened in verse 4: after the metaphysical case (nobody can truly stop acting) comes the practical one (you can’t even keep your body alive without acting). “Niyataṃ karma,” prescribed or regular action, picks up the duty language from chapter 2 and points ahead to the caste-and-duty discussion around verse 35.
Concepts