Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (Adi Shankaracharya) 3.24
Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (Adi Shankaracharya) 3.24 · 3 · Verse 24
Sanskrit Original
।।3.24।। उत्सीदेयुः विनश्येयुः इमे सर्वे लोकाः लोकस्थितिनिमित्तस्य कर्मणः अभावात् न कुर्यां कर्म चेत् अहम्। किञ्च संकरस्य च कर्ता स्याम्। तेन कारणेन उपहन्याम् इमाः प्रजाः। प्रजानामनुग्रहाय प्रवृत्तः उपहतिम् उपहननं कुर्याम् इत्यर्थः। मम ईश्वरस्य अननुरूपमापद्येत।।यदि पुनः अहमिव त्वं कृतार्थबुद्धिः आत्मवित् अन्यो वा तस्यापि आत्मनः कर्तव्याभावेऽपि परानुग्रह एव कर्तव्य इत्याह
3.24 Cet, if; aham, I; na kuryam, do not perform; karma, action; all ime, these; lokah, worlds; utsideyuh, will be ruined, owing to the obsence of work responsible for the maintenance of the worlds. Ca, and, futher; syam, I shall become; karta, the agent; sankarasya, of intermingling (of castes). Conseently, upahanyam, I shall be destroying; imah, these; prajah, beings. That is to say, I who am engaged in helping the creatures, shall be destroying them. This would be unbefitting of Me, who am God. 'On the other, if, like Me, you or some one else possesses the conviction of having attained Perfection and is a knower of the Self, it is a duty of such a one, too, to help others even if there be no obligation on his own part.'