Bg. 3.23 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः । मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

yadi hy ahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

Synonyms

yadi — if ; hi — certainly ; aham — I ; na — do not ; varteyam — thus engage ; jātu — ever ; karmaṇi — in the performance of prescribed duties ; atandritaḥ — with great care ; mama — My ; vartma — path ; anuvartante — would follow ; manuṣyāḥ — all men ; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā ; sarvaśaḥ — in all respects.

Translation

For if I ever failed to engage in carefully performing prescribed duties, O Pārtha, certainly all men would follow My path.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

23. If I were not to engage in work attentively at any time, men would follow My example in all respects.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

23. If I were not to engage in work attentively at any time, men would follow My example in all respects.

Purport

In order to keep the balance of social tranquillity for progress in spiritual life, there are traditional family usages meant for every civilized man. Although such rules and regulations are for the conditioned souls and not Lord Kṛṣṇa, because He descended to establish the principles of religion He followed the prescribed rules. Otherwise, common men would follow in His footsteps, because He is the greatest authority. From the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa was performing all the religious duties at home and out of home, as required of a householder.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Anuvartante (they do follow) is used with the meaning anuvarteran (they would follow).

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

If I, the Lord of all, who, though complete in all respects, have appearing in the Yadu family, were ever (jātu) to fail to perform attentively (atandritaḥ) actions prescribed in the scriptures, men, taking My example, would follow My path, since I am the leader. They would reject the conduct prescribed in their family, and would thereby be destroyed.