Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gitaश्लोक, अर्थ सहित
The song of the Lord, in short. The best loved verses of the Gita, each with its Sanskrit, a simple meaning, and one line to carry into your day. Start with the Shlok of the day, or wander by theme.
Shlok of the day
ॐ
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Actionकर्म
Doing your work without clinging to results.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana, mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stv akarmaṇi.
You have a right to your action alone, never to its fruits. Let not the fruit of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya, siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate.
Established in yoga, do your work, giving up attachment, O Arjuna, even-minded in success and failure. This evenness of mind is called yoga.
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte, tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam.
One united in wisdom casts off both good and bad deeds here. Therefore devote yourself to yoga. Yoga is skill in action.
Dutyधर्म
Walking your own path, steady and true.
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ, sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate.
Whatever a great person does, others follow. Whatever standard they set, the world pursues.
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।
स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥
śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt, sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ.
Better is one’s own duty, though imperfect, than the duty of another well performed. Better is death in one’s own duty; the duty of another brings fear.
Devotionभक्ति
Offering the heart, and being held.
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, O Bharata, then I manifest myself.
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge.
To protect the good, to destroy the wicked, and to establish dharma, I am born in every age.
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्॥
ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham.
To those who worship me with undivided devotion, ever united with me, I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः॥
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ.
Whoever offers me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of love from a pure heart I accept.
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत्।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम्॥
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat, yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam.
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever you give, whatever you practice as discipline, O Arjuna, do it as an offering to me.
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ.
Abandon all duties and take refuge in me alone. I shall free you from all sins. Do not grieve.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम॥
yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ, tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama.
Wherever there is Krishna, the lord of yoga, and Arjuna, the archer, there will surely be fortune, victory, prosperity and sound morality. This is my conviction.
Peaceशांति
A mind that stays calm through all that comes.
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ, āgamāpāyino ‘nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata.
The contacts of the senses with their objects give cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and are impermanent. Endure them patiently, O Arjuna.
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते॥
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate, saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ‘bhijāyate.
Dwelling on the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment to them. From attachment springs desire, and from desire arises anger.
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्।
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी॥
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat, tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī.
As waters flow into the ocean which, though ever filling, stays still, so the one whom all desires enter attains peace, not the one who runs after desires.
यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः॥
yathā dīpo nivāta-stho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā, yogino yata-cittasya yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ.
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so is the disciplined mind of a yogi absorbed in the yoga of the self.
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः॥
yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ, harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ.
One by whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world, freed from joy, envy, fear and anxiety, is dear to me.
The Selfआत्मा
What you truly are, beyond birth and death.
देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा।
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति॥
dehino ‘smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati.
As the embodied soul passes in this body through childhood, youth and age, so it passes to another body. The wise are not deluded by this.
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि-
न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ, ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre.
The soul is never born and never dies. It has not come to be, nor will it cease to be. Unborn, eternal, ever-existing, ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro ‘parāṇi, tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī.
As a person casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied soul casts off worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ, na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ.
Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, and wind cannot dry it.
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते।
तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति॥
na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha vidyate, tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati.
There is nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge. One perfected in yoga finds it within the self in time.
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet, ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ.
Lift yourself by your own self; do not degrade yourself. For the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is its enemy.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्॥
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ, anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat.
For one who has conquered the self by the self, the self is a friend. But for one who has not, the very self behaves as an enemy.
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति॥
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ, manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati.
An eternal portion of my own self becomes the living soul in the world of the living, drawing to itself the mind and the five senses that rest in nature.
The Bhakti Angan app brings a Daily Shlok to your home and lock screen, with daily darshan, katha and the Panchang.
The Bhagavad Gita, made simple
Spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the Bhagavad Gita is the heart of Hindu wisdom. Its 700 verses answer the questions we all carry: how to act, how to let go of the result, how to stay calm, and who we truly are. This page gathers its best loved shlokas with a clear meaning for everyday life.
What is the Bhagavad Gita?
The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata, where on the battlefield of Kurukshetra Lord Krishna gives Arjuna the knowledge of life, action, devotion and the self across 700 verses.
Which is the most famous verse of the Gita?
The best known is 2.47: karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana. It means your right is to your action alone, never to its fruits.
Can I read one verse a day?
Yes. A new Shlok appears here each day on its own, and the Bhakti Angan app has a Daily Shlok widget that brings the same verse to your home screen.
Sanskrit is presented in the traditional Devanagari. Meanings are offered with care for everyday understanding.