Bhagavad Gita



ಯದಿ ಹ್ಯಹಂ ನ ವರ್ತೇಯಂ ಜಾತು ಕರ್ಮಣ್ಯತಂದ್ರಿತಃ।
ಮಮ ವರ್ತ್ಮಾನುವವರ್ತಂತೇ ಮನುಷ್ಯಾಃ ಪಾರ್ಥ ಸರ್ವಶಃ ॥೨೩॥
yadi hyahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇyataṃdritaḥ|
mama vartmānuvavartaṃte manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||23||

O pratha, if I do not indulge in do Karma [action], all human being will follow my pursuit and refrain from doing karma.
ಉತ್ಸೀದೇಯುರಿಮೇ ಲೋಕಾ ನ ಕುರ್ಯಾಂ ಕರ್ಮ ಚೇದಹಮ್ ।
ಸಂಕರಸ್ಯ ಚ ಕರ್ತಾ ಸ್ಯಾಮುಪಹನ್ಯಾಮಿಮಾಃ ಪ್ರಜಾಃ॥೨೪॥
utsīdeyurime lokā na kuryāṃ karma cedaham |
saṃkarasya ca kartā syāmupahanyāmimāḥ prajāḥ||24||

Gist of the sloka:
If I don’t do the karmas, the entire populace will go astray. I will be then responsible for impurities in the dharmic way and I would have misled them.
Explanation:
In the above 3 verses, Lord Krishna makes an example out of himself for the world. Lord Krishna who was the charioteer to Arjuna tells him: “I have nothing to gain out of this universe or by performing karmas. Neither would lack of undertaking the karmas, impact me”.
For the Lord who forever is involved in the creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe on a daily basis, there is nothing that the universe can give which the Lord does not have. He rather performs the actions due to the kindness and benevolence he has over the created beings. Not for any personal benefit.
If the Lord had not set the example of being involved in the activities, the world would have taken non-action/idleness as the model [disregarding that Lord need not do any karmas] and blindly follow the non-action as the right example for themselves. Lord therefore appeared in the world as a normal person with responsibilities, duties and action.
Lord says that in case he does not do the required karmas, the world would have lost the concept behind performance of the karmas and would forever be trapped in karmic cycle. The universal order would be disturbed. Whatever is the prescribed as duty of a person, they must do it without fail. This is the system of universe. Otherwise, everyone would do whatever they prefer, which creates chaos, disturbing the universal order.