Chapter 3, Verse 17
यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः | आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ||३-१७||
yastvātmaratireva syādātmatṛptaśca mānavaḥ . ātmanyeva ca santuṣṭastasya kāryaṃ na vidyate ||3-17||
Meaning
3.17 But for that man who rejoices only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self and who is content in the Self alone, verily there is nothing to do.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna now acknowledges an exception. The sage who has realized the Self — atmarati, delighting in the Atman, atmatripta, fulfilled within, atmasantushta, content in the Self alone — has no duty left to perform for personal gain. Having found the source of all fulfilment within, he needs nothing the world can offer.
This is the rare summit toward which the whole teaching points. For such a one, action is no longer driven by desire or need; the inner fountain of joy is complete. Yet this is not an excuse for ordinary seekers to abandon work, for almost no one has truly reached this state. The verse honours the realized soul while quietly reminding the rest of us how far we still are from genuine inner sufficiency. Until the Self is found within, action remains both necessary and ennobling.
💡 Key Takeaway
True fulfilment is found within the Self, not in external achievement — but until you reach it, meaningful action remains your path.
Related Verses
न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते | न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ||३-४||
na karmaṇāmanārambhānnaiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo.aśnute . na ca saṃnyasanādeva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati ||3-4||
3.4 Not by non-performance of actions does man reach actionlessness; nor by mere renunciation does he attain to perfection.
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.
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन | न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ||३-१८||
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana . na cāsya sarvabhūteṣu kaścidarthavyapāśrayaḥ ||3-18||
3.18 For him there is no interest whatever in what is done or what is not done; nor does he depend on any being for any object.