Work for Krishna is also a path.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव |मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ||१२-१०||
abhyāse.apyasamartho.asi matkarmaparamo bhava . madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvansiddhimavāpsyasi ||12-10||
Use this verse when meditation feels difficult but service is possible.
Meaning
If you are unable even to practice, then be devoted to working for Me. By performing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
If meditation practice is hard, serve Krishna through action.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna makes Bhakti Yoga highly accessible. If the mind cannot focus and practice is hard, begin with work for Krishna. Service becomes the doorway.
Read the traditional commentary
The ladder descends again. If even disciplined meditative practice is beyond you, then make your work itself an offering — become one who labours for My sake (mat-karma-paramaḥ). Worship, study, service, the duties of daily life, all done as acts dedicated to God, themselves carry the seeker toward perfection (siddhim avāpsyasi).
This is the genius of bhakti: it does not require withdrawal from action but transforms ordinary action into devotion. When work is performed for the Lord rather than for personal gain, the heart is gradually purified and turned Godward through the very motions of living. Activity, rightly dedicated, becomes a path in its own right.
In daily life
Turn one ordinary duty into Krishna-seva.
A parent cooking, a student studying, or a professional working can dedicate the action to Krishna.
Try this today
Do one ordinary task as service to Krishna.
My work becomes service to Krishna.Reflect
What work can become Krishna-seva today?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘mat-karma-paramaḥ’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on devotion, in other chapters
- Verse 17.27Steadfast devotion to good practices, and acting for the sake of the Divine, makes your work participate in truth and goodness itself.
- Verse 18.68Lovingly sharing spiritual wisdom with sincere seekers is itself a sure path to the Divine.
- Verse 3.30Offer your actions to the Divine, release craving and anxiety, and you can act decisively even under pressure with an untroubled heart.
- Verse 11.55Work selflessly for the Divine, love it above all, release attachment, and hate no one — this is the path home.
Swipe left for 12.11 · Renouncing result-attachment is an accessible beginning.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 12.10
Who says Bhagavad Gita 12.10, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 12.10, in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga (Bhakti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 12.10 mean?
If you are unable even to practice, then be devoted to working for Me. By performing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 12.10 for daily life?
Turn one ordinary duty into Krishna-seva. A parent cooking, a student studying, or a professional working can dedicate the action to Krishna.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 12.10 mean?
abhyāse — in practice; api — even; asamarthaḥ asi — you are unable; mat-karma-paramaḥ — supremely devoted to work for My sake; bhava — be, become.
Where does verse 12.10 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 10 of 20 in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga. The next verse is 12.11.