The path of freedom includes wise action.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः |कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ||४-१५||
evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvairapi mumukṣubhiḥ . kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam ||4-15||
Use this verse when you think liberation means escaping duty.
Meaning
Knowing this, seekers of liberation in ancient times also performed action. Therefore, you too should perform action as the ancients did before.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Even seekers of liberation performed action with wisdom.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna closes this section by returning Arjuna to action. Liberation seekers did not abandon duty; they acted with understanding and nonattachment. This is a major lesson for spiritual seekers today: freedom is not found by escaping life, but by transforming how we live, work, serve, and choose. The path has been walked before, and Arjuna is asked to continue it.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna draws a practical conclusion and points to precedent. The ancient mumukṣus — those who genuinely sought liberation — did not abandon action; understanding this secret of unattached work, they continued to act. Liberation has never required fleeing the world; it requires acting within it with the right inner stance.
By invoking the example of the ancients, Krishna gently dissolves Arjuna's temptation to renounce his duty on the battlefield. The path of the wise is not inaction but enlightened action. He urges Arjuna: 'do thou also perform action' — follow the proven way of the liberated ones before you. This verse closes the immediate argument: freedom and engagement are not opposites; the realized have always combined them.
In daily life
Do your duty as part of a long lineage of seekers who acted with wisdom.
A householder can pursue spiritual freedom while raising a family, building ethically, and serving society.
Try this today
Take one duty today as part of your spiritual path, not separate from it.
My duties become part of my path to freedom.Reflect
What action would a sincere seeker perform in my position?
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Quick check
What does ‘पूर्वतरम् कृतम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma yoga, in other chapters
- Verse 3.19Do what must be done, fully and without clinging to results — selfless action itself can lead you to the highest realization.
- Verse 13.5Trustworthy spiritual truth is confirmed by both inspired vision and careful reasoning across the ages.
- Verse 8.7You need not abandon your duties to seek God; remember the Divine while you work, and your whole life becomes worship.
- Verse 11.33Do your duty wholeheartedly as an instrument of the Divine, without clinging to being the doer.
Swipe left for 4.16 · True action must be understood, not assumed.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 4.15
Who says Bhagavad Gita 4.15, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 4.15, in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga (Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.15 mean?
Knowing this, seekers of liberation in ancient times also performed action. Therefore, you too should perform action as the ancients did before. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 4.15 for daily life?
Do your duty as part of a long lineage of seekers who acted with wisdom. A householder can pursue spiritual freedom while raising a family, building ethically, and serving society.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 4.15 mean?
एवम् ज्ञात्वा — knowing thus; कृतम् कर्म — action was performed; पूर्वैः अपि — by the ancients also; मुमुक्षुभिः — by seekers of liberation; कुरु कर्म एव — perform action verily.
Where does verse 4.15 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 15 of 42 in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 4.16.