Shloka 16

ध्यानयोगः — Dhyāna-Yoga

Discipline of Meditation and Mental Restraint

Devanagari script

कि कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयो<प्यत्र मोहिता: । तत्‌ ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यजउज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेडशुभात्‌

Transliteration

kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitāḥ | tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Was ist Handeln, und was ist Nicht-Handeln? Selbst die Weisen werden hierin verwirrt. Darum bitte ich dich: lege mir das wahre Prinzip des Handelns dar—damit ich, es erkennend, vom Unheilvollen, nämlich von der Bindung durch die Folgen des Tuns, befreit werde.“

Word by Word

• {'kiṁ': 'what?', 'karma': 'action

• also action as a cause of bondage when done with attachment', 'akarma': 'non-action

• also action that does not bind (action performed in right knowledge/without attachment)', 'iti': 'thus

• in this manner (marking the quoted question)', 'kavayaḥ': 'sages

• poets (those of insight)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'atra': 'here

• in this matter/topic', 'mohitāḥ': 'bewildered

• confused', 'tat': 'therefore

• that (for this reason)', 'te': 'to you

• for you (here: ‘to you’ as the listener, i.e., ‘for your sake’)', 'pravakṣyāmi': 'I shall explain

• I will declare clearly', 'yat': 'which

• that which', 'jñātvā': 'having known

• after understanding', 'mokṣyase': 'you will be liberated

• you will be freed', 'aśubhāt': 'from the inauspicious

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a key ethical problem: distinguishing true ‘action’ from ‘non-action’ is subtle enough to confuse even the wise. It sets up Krishna’s forthcoming explanation that right understanding and intention determine whether action binds or liberates.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Kurukshetra context, Arjuna directly questions Krishna about how to discern karma and akarma, seeking guidance that will free him from inauspicious consequences and moral confusion about duty.