Verse 25
सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत | कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् || २५ ||
Transliteration
saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṁso yathā kurvanti bhārata kuryād vidvāṁs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur loka-saṁgraham
Synonyms
saktāḥ—being attached; karmaṇi—in work; avidvāṁsaḥ—the ignorant; yathā—as much as; kurvanti—they do; bhārata—O descendant of Bharata; kuryāt—should do; vidvān—the learned; tathā—thus; asaktaḥ—without attachment; cikīrṣuḥ—desiring to lead; loka-saṁgraham—the people in general.
Translation
“Just as the ignorant act with attachment to their work, O Bharata, so should the wise act without attachment, desiring to uphold the world.”
Multi-Tradition Commentary
The wise and the ignorant may perform identical external actions, but with entirely different inner orientations. The ignorant act from desire and attachment; the wise act from a sense of duty and care for the world. Externally, both may appear equally active. The difference lies in the quality of consciousness behind the action — this inner difference is everything.
Practical Application (Modern Life)
You can do the same work — raise children, run a business, practice a craft — with attachment (driven by results and ego) or without (as a form of service). The work itself need not change immediately; transform the spirit in which you do it. Over time, this inner shift will manifest in how you work, relate, and respond to success and failure.