📿 Shloka Collection

Yah Shastravidhim Utsrijya

Gita 16.23 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥
Yah shastravidhim utsrijya vartate kamakaratah
Na sa siddhim avapnoti na sukham na param gatim
यः
whoever
शास्त्रविधिम्
the guidance of shastra (scripture)
उत्सृज्य
having abandoned
वर्तते
lives, conducts oneself
कामकारतः
driven by personal whim
न सः
that person does not
सिद्धिम्
success, perfection
अवाप्नोति
attain
न सुखम्
nor happiness
न पराम् गतिम्
nor the Supreme destination

Krishna addresses a question that might arise in any mind: why follow shastra at all? Why not just do what feels right? His answer is blunt. The person who throws aside scriptural guidance and lives purely by personal desire attains nothing — no success, no happiness, no moksha. Three negatives in a row, like three locked doors slamming shut.

Kamakaratah — acting on whim. This is not the same as following one's conscience. Conscience is informed by wisdom and tradition. Whim is the raw pull of desire dressed up as personal choice. A traveler who tears up the map and walks wherever fancy takes them may feel free for a while, but they will not reach any destination.

The triple denial — na siddhi, na sukha, na param gati — covers everything a person might want: worldly accomplishment, ordinary happiness, and spiritual liberation. The life lived without guidance from shastra misses all three. Krishna is not demanding blind obedience; he is pointing out that accumulated wisdom exists for a reason, and ignoring it has real consequences.

This shloka emphasizes shastra-pramanya — the authority and value of scripture. In Indian tradition, shastras are not merely books; they represent generations of accumulated wisdom, the fruit of the sages' dedicated practice and realization.

The next shloka (16.24) completes this thought and closes the chapter with a direct instruction.

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