🔁 Breaking the Divine Cycle? Then Life Is Wasted | Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Shloka 16 Explained

📜 श्लोक (Sanskrit)

एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः ।
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ॥ 16 ॥

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🔤 IAST Transliteration

evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ
aghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati ॥ 16 ॥

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🇮🇳 हिन्दी अनुवाद (Hindi Translation)

हे पार्थ! जो मनुष्य इस प्रकार प्रवर्तित (निर्धारित) चक्र का पालन नहीं करता, जो केवल इन्द्रियों के भोग में ही रत रहता है, वह पापपूर्ण जीवन जीता है और उसका जीवन व्यर्थ (निष्फल) जाता है।

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🌐 English Translation

O Partha, the one who does not follow the divine cycle set in motion and lives only for sensual pleasures—he lives a sinful life, and his very existence is in vain.

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🧠 व्याख्या (Detailed Explanation in Hindi)

इस श्लोक में श्रीकृष्ण उस व्यक्ति की स्थिति को स्पष्ट करते हैं जो धार्मिक और प्राकृतिक चक्र (यज्ञ-आधारित जीवन) को नहीं मानता।

यह चक्र क्या है?

• यज्ञ से वर्षा,

• वर्षा से अन्न,

• अन्न से प्राणी,

• यज्ञ से धर्म,

• और धर्म से समृद्धि।

जो व्यक्ति इस चक्र का पालन नहीं करता, अर्थात—

• अपने कर्तव्यों (कर्म) से दूर भागता है,

• केवल इन्द्रिय सुखों में लिप्त रहता है,

• समाज, प्रकृति या ईश्वर के लिए कोई योगदान नहीं देता,

तो वह "अघायुः" (पापमय जीवन जीने वाला) कहलाता है और उसका जीवन "मोघं" (निष्फल, व्यर्थ) हो जाता है।

श्रीकृष्ण के शब्द कठोर हैं पर सत्य हैं—कर्तव्य से विमुख होकर केवल भोग में जीना एक अधार्मिक और व्यर्थ जीवन है।

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📖 Detailed Explanation in English

Krishna now addresses those who ignore the sacred cycle He described earlier—Yajña, Karma, Nature, and Life.

He says:

• Those who do not live in harmony with this system,

• Who avoid responsibility (karma),

• And who live only for sensual pleasures (indriyārāmaḥ),

Live a life that is:

• Aghāyuḥ – sinful, impure, disconnected from dharma.

• Moghaṁ jīvati – meaningless, wasted, fruitless.

In essence, Krishna is saying:

To live just for yourself, ignoring your duty and the greater good, is not living—it is merely existing in vain.

This verse reminds us that true fulfillment comes not from consumption, but contribution. A selfish life isolates us from the divine order and leads to spiritual stagnation.

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💡 Life Lessons / Practical Takeaways

• 🌀 Life is part of a divine cycle. Break it, and you lose meaning.

• 🧘 Duty over desire. Selfish living leads to emptiness.

• 🚫 Indulgence without responsibility is a sin.

• 🙌 Fulfillment comes from living for something greater than yourself.

• 🌿 Contribute to nature, society, and the divine—or your life becomes disconnected.

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🔚 Conclusion

This verse is a wake-up call for all who live only for themselves. Krishna warns that ignoring your place in the cosmic ecosystem of karma and yajña results in a wasted, sinful life.

A life without purpose, responsibility, and offering is not a blessed life. To live meaningfully is to align your actions with duty and divinity.

Next, Krishna will speak about those rare souls who are beyond even these duties—and how they live not in selfishness, but in self-realization.