Bhagavad Gita 18.46 · Krishna
Work as worship
यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम्।
स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः॥
yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṃ yena sarvamidaṃ tatamsvakarmaṇā tamabhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ
Worshipping, through one's own work, the One from whom all beings come and who fills all this, a person reaches perfection.
Words
- karma
What it means
This is one of the Gita's most beautiful ideas. Svakarmana tam abhyarchya. By worshipping him through your own work. The One from whom all beings come, who fills everything. Your karma, your daily work, becomes an offering. The office, the kitchen, the classroom, all become places of worship.
The story
Arjuna discovers that even his battlefield duty can be an act of devotion, offered to the one who fills all things.
In your life
Think of a baker who rises at four every morning, kneading bread with care, as if feeding God. Before you start work today, quietly offer it to something greater.
Work done with love is worship.