Chapter 3, Verse 16
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः | अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ||३-१६||
evaṃ pravartitaṃ cakraṃ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ . aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṃ pārtha sa jīvati ||3-16||
Meaning
3.16 He who does not follow here the wheel thus set revolving, who is of sinful life, rejoicing in the senses, he lives in vain, O Arjuna.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna delivers a sober warning. One who refuses to participate in this sacred wheel of mutual sustenance — taking from life while contributing nothing, an indriyarama who lives only for sensory gratification — lives in vain. His existence, however busy, bears no real fruit.
The phrase mogham jivati, 'lives uselessly,' is striking. A self-centred life devoted purely to consuming pleasures may feel full, yet it misses the very purpose of being. To opt out of the cycle of giving is to squander the rare gift of human life. By contrast, the person who plays their part in the great exchange — contributing, serving, offering — gives their days meaning. The wheel will turn with or without us; the question is whether we lend our shoulder to it or merely cling to its turning for our own indulgence.
💡 Key Takeaway
A life spent only chasing personal pleasure, contributing nothing back, is wasted no matter how full it seems.
Related Verses
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् | इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ||३-६||
karmendriyāṇi saṃyamya ya āste manasā smaran . indriyārthānvimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate ||3-6||
3.6 He who, restraining the organs of action, sits thinking of the sense-objects in mind, he of deluded understanding is called a hypocrite.
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः | तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ||३-९||
yajñārthātkarmaṇo.anyatra loko.ayaṃ karmabandhanaḥ . tadarthaṃ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara ||3-9||
3.9 The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for that sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment.
सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः | अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ||३-१०||
sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ . anena prasaviṣyadhvameṣa vo.astviṣṭakāmadhuk ||3-10||
3.10 The Creator, having in the beginning (of creation) created mankind together with sacrifice, said, "By this shall ye propagate; let this be the milch cow of your desires (the cow which yields all the desired objects)."