Gita 12.10
Bhakti Yoga
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव | मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ||१०||
abhyāse 'py asamartho 'si mat-karma-paramo bhava | mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi ||10||
In essence: Still unable even to practice? Then simply work for Me—performing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This seems too easy. Just work for Krishna and attain perfection? Where's the effort?"
Guru: "Try it for one day and tell me if it's easy. To remember Krishna as you work, to offer each task to Him, to not claim results for yourself—this requires constant vigilance. The effort is not in changing WHAT you do but in transforming WHY you do it. That transformation is profound work."
Sadhak: "How is working for Krishna different from just doing my job well?"
Guru: "Doing your job well may serve your career, your family, your pride. Working for Krishna serves Him regardless of what it does for you. The excellent employee might be working for Krishna, or might be working for promotion. The external may be identical; the internal is entirely different."
Sadhak: "What counts as 'work for Krishna'? Only religious activities?"
Guru: "Everything counts if the intention is present. Washing dishes for Krishna, filing reports for Krishna, changing diapers for Krishna. There is no secular and sacred divide—only dedicated and undedicated. The Gita revolutionizes spirituality by making the entire world a place of worship."
Sadhak: "I forget constantly. I start the day with dedication and by noon I'm just working for myself again."
Guru: "Then you are human. This is why Krishna offered practice (verse 9) before this. If you can remember even once per hour to re-dedicate your work, you are practicing. If you can remember only once per day, start there. The forgetting is not failure; the never-trying would be failure."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Before starting work, speak or think: 'Today's work is Your work, Krishna. I am Your instrument, this work is Your service.' This brief dedication sets the intention for the day.
At least three times today, pause and re-dedicate your current activity to Krishna. Whether you are in a meeting, cooking, or commuting, mentally offer it: 'This is for You.' Notice if this changes the quality of attention you bring to the activity.
Offer the day's work to Krishna explicitly: 'Whatever was done today—the successes and failures, the tasks completed and incomplete—I offer to You.' This practice of releasing outcomes completes the karma-yoga. Journal briefly: What did it feel like to work for Krishna today? What changed?