यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः ।
आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ॥ १७ ॥
yas tvātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛiptaśh cha mānavaḥ
ātmanyeva cha santuṣhṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate
श्लोक १७: परंतु, जो मनुष्य आत्मा में ही आनंद पाते हैं, भीतर से प्रकाशित होते हैं, और स्वयं में ही संतुष्ट रहते हैं, उन्हें बाहरी कार्यों या कर्तव्यों की कोई आवश्यकता नहीं होती।
Shloka 17: However, the person who finds delight in the self alone, illumined from within and satisfied within themselves, for them there is no need for external actions or duties.
In Bhagavad Gita verse 3.17, Lord Krishna explores a profound spiritual state where duty transforms into something entirely different. The Sanskrit verse "यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानव: आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते" describes a person who has reached a state of complete self-realization.
This verse marks an important transition in Krishna's teachings. After explaining how those with material desires must perform their duties through Karma Yoga to purify their hearts, Krishna now addresses what happens when someone achieves complete purification. For such a self-realized soul who finds joy, satisfaction, and contentment solely in the self (Atma), Krishna declares that there are no obligatory duties.
The essence of this teaching lies in understanding why this liberated person has no duties. It's not that they cease all action, but rather that the entire nature of their action changes. When a person delights in the self and remains fully satisfied within, they no longer act out of desire for personal gain or out of social obligation. Their actions emerge spontaneously from a place of inner fulfillment rather than from any sense of lack or need.
Consider the difference between someone who helps others to gain recognition versus someone who helps simply because compassion flows naturally from their being. The first person is bound by the results of their actions and the opinions of others. The second person, like the one described in this verse, acts from fullness rather than emptiness. They have transcended the conventional understanding of duty because they've transcended the very motivations that make duties necessary.
This verse doesn't advocate inaction or irresponsibility. Rather, it points to a transformation of consciousness where actions arise not from desire or obligation but from the overflow of inner contentment. Such a person may still engage in worldly activities, but their relationship to these activities has fundamentally changed. They perform actions not because they must, but because they flow naturally from their state of being.
The state Krishna describes represents spiritual freedom in its purest form. Most people feel bound by duties and obligations because they depend on the world to fulfill their desires and expectations. These desires act as chains, binding them to specific courses of action. The self-realized person has broken these chains not by rejecting responsibility but by transcending the underlying dependencies that make duties feel burdensome.
This verse offers a glimpse of the ultimate goal of spiritual practice: not to escape the world but to engage with it from a place of inner freedom and completeness. It reminds us that true liberation doesn't come from changing our external circumstances but from transforming our inner relationship to life itself. When we find complete satisfaction in the self, we can participate in life's activities with a lightness and joy that comes from knowing that our deepest fulfillment is already present within us.
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