Duty, Dharma and the Soul: The Deeper Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
You have the right to perform your duty, but you do not have control over the results. Do not make the result the only reason for your actions, and do not become attached to avoiding action.
This is probably the most widely quoted verse of the Bhagavad Gita. It teaches that we should concentrate on doing our duty sincerely rather than becoming obsessed with the outcome.
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥
Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness rises, I manifest Myself, O Arjuna.
I appear to protect the righteous, destroy destructive forces, and re-establish Dharma. I manifest age after age.
Together, these two verses express the important idea of divine intervention for the restoration of Dharma.
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्...
The true Self is never born and never dies. It is eternal and cannot be destroyed when the body is destroyed.
Krishna gives this teaching to help Arjuna understand that physical death does not destroy the eternal Atman.
सर्वधर्मान् परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥
Take refuge in Me alone. I will free you from all wrongdoing and lead you toward liberation. Do not grieve.
This is one of the most important verses for Bhakti traditions, where complete surrender to Krishna is understood as the highest form of devotion.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम॥
Where Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, is present, and where Arjuna, the great archer, stands, there will be prosperity, victory, strength, and righteousness. This is my firm conviction.
This final verse beautifully brings together the Gita's message: divine wisdom must be joined with righteous human action.
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