Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 40
Bhagavad Gītā 2.40: No effort is wasted
नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ।
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ॥
nehābhikramanāśo'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
svalpamapyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Here no effort is lost and no adverse result arises; even a little of this discipline protects from great fear. Unlike rituals that fail if done imperfectly, the practice of karma-yoga bears fruit at every step; commentators read the “great fear” as the fear of repeated birth and death.
For children
Krishna says: “When you try to do good, no little bit of trying is ever wasted. Even a tiny bit helps you!”
Kṛṣṇa begins teaching the yoga of action by encouraging Arjuna: this path never wastes any effort.
Word by word
नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति — On this path, no effort is ever lost
- iha: here, on this path
- abhikrama: effort, beginning
- nāśa: loss
प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते — and nothing turns against you
- pratyavāya: adverse result, harm
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य — even a little of this practice
- svalpa: very little
- dharma: practice, way of life
त्रायते महतो भयात् — protects from great fear
- trāyate: protects, saves
- mahat: great
- bhaya: fear
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.