Verse 3.25

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 3.25:

सक्ताः कर्मण्य् अविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत ।
कुर्याद् विद्वांस् तथासक्तश् चिकीर्षुर् लोक-सङ्ग्रहम् ॥ २५ ॥

saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata |
kuryād vidvāṃs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur loka-saṅgraham || 25 ||

saktāḥ–being attached; karmaṇi–to their prescribed duties; avidvāṃsaḥ–the ignorant; yathā–just as; kurvanti–perform; bhārata–O scion of Bharata (Arjuna); kuryāt–should act; vidvān–the learned; tathā–in the same way; asaktaḥ–without attachment; cikīrṣuḥ–desiring to effect; loka-saṅgraham–the instruction of the general populace.

O descendant of Bharata, ignorant people perform their duties with attachment. Those who are wise should also work, but without attachment, desiring to instruct the people in general.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Thus, even a person who is firmly situated on the platform of jñāna is duty bound to perform his prescribed work (karma). Śrī Kṛṣṇa concludes this topic with this verse beginning with the word saktāḥ.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

These days, ignorant people perform their prescribed duty with attachment both to the work and its fruits, but a person who knows tattva, fundamental truths, performs his religious duty without attachment. The activities performed by these two types of people appear to be the same, but there is a difference of heaven and hell between them. The distinction lies in their faith: one is attached to the fruit of their karma, while the other is detached.