Inner fulfillment frees the mind from compulsive seeking.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः |आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ||३-१७||
yastvātmaratireva syādātmatṛptaśca mānavaḥ . ātmanyeva ca santuṣṭastasya kāryaṃ na vidyate ||3-17||
Use this verse when external validation controls your mood.
Meaning
But the person who delights in the self, is satisfied in the self, and is content in the self has no compulsory duty left.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
One who is inwardly fulfilled is not driven by external compulsion.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna describes a rare state of inner fulfillment. Such a person does not depend on external validation, possessions, or sensory pleasure for completeness. This is not laziness; it is spiritual fullness. Most people still need Karma Yoga because their minds are moved by desire, fear, and duty. But this verse shows the destination: a life where the self is no longer hungry for completion from the world.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Build inner contentment even while fulfilling outer duties.
A person can work hard without feeling incomplete without promotion, praise, or luxury.
Try this today
Sit silently for two minutes and repeat: I am already whole within.
I find contentment in the self.Reflect
What am I using to feel complete from outside?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘तस्य कार्यम् न विद्यते’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on contentment, in other chapters
- Verse 6.8True fulfillment comes from inner realization, not possessions — to the awakened, gold and a clod of earth hold equal pull.
- Verse 4.20When your contentment no longer depends on outcomes, you can act fully yet remain inwardly untouched.
- Verse 13.24Right understanding of self and nature liberates you wherever you stand — no special circumstance required.
- Verse 7.2Seek the knowing that is also realised in experience, for that alone leaves nothing essential still to be sought.
Swipe left for 3.18 · Act from fullness, not emotional dependency.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.17
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.17, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.17, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.17 mean?
But the person who delights in the self, is satisfied in the self, and is content in the self has no compulsory duty left. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.17 for daily life?
Build inner contentment even while fulfilling outer duties. A person can work hard without feeling incomplete without promotion, praise, or luxury.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.17 mean?
यः तु — but he who; आत्मरतिः एव स्यात् — delights only in the Self; आत्मतृप्तः च मानवः — and the man who is satisfied in the Self; आत्मनि एव च सन्तुष्टः — and content in the Self alone; तस्य कार्यम् न विद्यते — for him there is nothing that must be done.
Where does verse 3.17 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 17 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.18.