Bhagavad Gita 3.7: meaning and translation
Chapter 3: Karma Yoga. Krishna says
But the one who controls the senses with the mind and, without attachment, takes up the yoga of action (karma-yoga) with the organs of action is better (viśiṣyate), Krishna says.
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Bhagavad Gita 3.7
यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन ।कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते ॥
Yastvindriyani manasa niyamyarabhaterjunaKarmendriyaih karmayogamasaktah sa vishishyate
yastvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate’rjuna |karmendriyaiḥ karmayogamasaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate ||
Our explanation But the one who controls the senses with the mind and, without attachment, takes up the yoga of action (karma-yoga) with the organs of action is better (viśiṣyate), Krishna says. He calls Arjuna by name.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जो मन से इंद्रियों को वश में करके, आसक्ति के बिना, कर्मेंद्रियों से कर्मयोग करता है, वह श्रेष्ठ है। यहाँ वे अर्जुन को नाम लेकर पुकारते हैं।
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Word by word
- यः yaḥ · who (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- तु tu · but (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. tu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 449, col. 3 “but”
- इन्द्रियाणि indriyāṇi · the senses (noun (neuter), accusative plural) Dictionary: indriya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 167, col. 2 “faculty of sense, sense, organ of sense”
- मनसा manasā · with the mind (noun (neuter), instrumental singular) Dictionary: manas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 783, col. 3 “mind (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers)”
- नियम्य niyamya · having controlled (absolutive (having done)) Dictionary: ni-yam, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 552, col. 1 “to hold in, keep down, restrain, control, govern, regulate”
- आरभते ārabhate · takes up, begins (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: ā-rabh, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 150, col. 1 “to undertake, commence, begin”
- अर्जुन arjuna · O Arjuna (noun (masculine), vocative singular) Dictionary: arjuna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 90, col. 1
- कर्मेन्द्रियैः karmendriyaiḥ · with the organs of action (compound (neuter), instrumental plural) Dictionary: karmendriya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 259, col. 2 “an organ of action”
- कर्मयोगम् karmayogam · the yoga of action (compound (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: karma-yoga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 259, col. 1 “performance of a work or business (esp. of religious duties)”
- असक्तः asaktaḥ · unattached (past participle (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: a-sakta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 118, col. 1 “detached from worldly feelings or passions, unattached or indifferent to (loc.)”
- सः saḥ · he (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
- विशिष्यते viśiṣyate · excels, is better (present passive, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: vi-śiṣ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 990, col. 2 “to be pre-eminent, excel, be better than”
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 53.
But he, O Arguna! who restraining his senses by his mind1, and being free from attachments, engages in devotion (in the shape) of action, with the organs of action, is far superior.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - By means of true discrimination keeping the senses from attachments to worldly objects, which lead to sin and evil. ↩
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 53.
But he, O Arguna! who restraining his senses by his mind1, and being free from attachments, engages in devotion (in the shape) of action, with the organs of action, is far superior.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - By means of true discrimination keeping the senses from attachments to worldly objects, which lead to sin and evil. ↩
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 41.
With the organs of action without attachment, performeth Yoga by action,1 he is worthy.
This sentence begins in 3.6.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - Karma-Yoga is the consecration of physical energy on the Divine Altar; i.e., the using of one's organs of action simply in service, in obedience to Law and Duty. ↩
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 66.
But, who controlling the senses by the mind, unattached, directs his organs of action to the path of work, he, O Arjuna, excels.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 53. Bhagavad Gita 3.7.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 41. Bhagavad Gita 3.7.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 66. Bhagavad Gita 3.7.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 3.7: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 27, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/3/7/
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Bhagavad Gita 3.7
यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन ।
कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते ॥
“But he, O Arguna! who restraining his senses by his mind, and being free from attachments, engages in devotion (in the shape) of action, with the organs of action, is far superior.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 53, public domain)
“With the organs of action without attachment, performeth Yoga by action, he is worthy.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 41, public domain)
This sentence begins in 3.6.
“But, who controlling the senses by the mind, unattached, directs his organs of action to the path of work, he, O Arjuna, excels.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 66, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/3/7/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 3.7?
Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 3 (Karma Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 27, 2026.