3.22 There is nothing in the three worlds, O Arjuna, that should be done by Me, nor is there anything unattained that should be attained; yet I engage Myself in action.

3.21-22 Yad yad acarati etc. Na me etc. The Bhagavat cities Himself as an example to illustrate the idea that to favour the world is the [only] purpose for such a person to exert in action, eventhough he has already attained whatever is to be attained, and is fully satisfied in his mind.

**3.22** O Partha, in all the three worlds, there is no duty incumbent upon Me, nor is there anything unattained that I need to attain. Yet, I remain engaged in prescribed action. **Commentary:** The Lord is not confined to any single world. Therefore, He states that He has no duty whatsoever in the three worlds. For the Lord, no duty remains in the entire universe because there is nothing left for Him to attain. All beings (humans, animals, birds, etc.) perform action only to attain something. In the aforementioned words, the Lord declares a most extraordinary truth: even though there is nothing left for Him to do or attain, He still performs action! Even though He has no duty for Himself, the Lord incarnates solely for the welfare of others and acts to liberate the righteous, annihilate the wicked, and re-establish dharma (Gita 4.8). Apart from His incarnations, even His act of creation is solely for the redemption of all beings. The heavenly realm is for experiencing the fruits of righteous deeds, while the 8.4 million species of life and the hellish realms are for experiencing the fruits of sinful deeds. The human birth is meant for rising above both virtue and sin to attain one's own supreme good. This is only possible when a human being does nothing for himself. He should perform all actions—the 'activity' performed by the gross body, the 'thinking' performed by the subtle body, and the 'steadiness' performed by the causal body—solely for the welfare of others, not for himself. This is because the instruments through which all actions are performed—the gross, subtle, and causal bodies—belong to the world, not to the self. Therefore, a Karma Yogi regards the entire apparatus—body, senses, mind, intellect, objects, etc. (which in reality belong to the world alone)—as belonging to the world and engages it in the service of the world. If a person, instead of using the world's objects in the world's service, uses them for his own enjoyment, he commits a grave error. It is only by considering the world's objects as one's own that desire for results arises, and action is performed to obtain those results. Thus, as long as a person acts with the desire to gain something, duty—meaning 'something to do'—remains for him. If contemplated deeply, it becomes clear that no human being has any duty for himself. The reason is that the object to be attained (the Supreme Reality) is eternally attained, and the Self (one's true nature) is also eternal, whereas action and its fruits are non-eternal—subject to birth and destruction. How can the non-eternal (action and fruit) have any connection with the eternal (the Self)? Action is related to the 'other' (the body and the world), not to the 'Self'. Action is always performed *by* the 'other' and *for* the 'other'. Therefore, there is simply nothing to do for oneself. If there is no duty for any human being, how can there possibly be any duty for the Lord! Regarding the great soul perfected through Karma Yoga, the Lord has stated in verses 17 and 18 of this very chapter that there is no duty for that great soul; because his delight, contentment, and satisfaction are in the Self alone. Thus, he has no purpose in doing or not doing anything in the world, and he has not the slightest self-interest in any being. Even so, that great soul acts for the welfare of the world. Similarly, here the Lord says about Himself that even though there is no duty and nothing left to attain, He acts for the welfare of the world. The implication is that the sage who knows the Truth attains oneness with the Lord—'they attain My essential nature' (Gita 14.2). Just as the Lord is the ideal person in the three worlds (Gita 3.23, 4.11), so too in the world, the knower of Truth is the ideal (Gita 3.25). 'I am indeed engaged in action'—Here, the word 'indeed' signifies the Lord's intent: I perform prescribed duties with all their components, with enthusiasm and diligence, free from indolence, and with careful attention. I neither abandon action nor am indifferent to it. Just as the carriages attached to an engine move when its wheels turn, similarly, the Lord and the saintly great souls (who have no desire to do or gain anything) perform prescribed duties like an engine, so that other humans may follow their example. Other humans harbor desires to do and to gain. These desires are eradicated only by performing prescribed duties in a spirit of desirelessness. If the Lord and the saintly great souls did not perform prescribed duties, other humans would also not perform them, leading to negligence and indolence in them, and they would start performing forbidden actions! How then would their desires be destroyed? Therefore, for the welfare of all humanity, prescribed duties are performed naturally by the Lord and the saintly great souls. The Lord is ever dutiful, never negligent of duty. Hence, a devotee absorbed in the Lord should also never be negligent of duty. It is by becoming negligent of duty that he remains deprived of the experience of the Divine Essence. By remaining ever dutiful, the seeker can easily attain the experience of the Divine Essence.