Chapter III · Śloka 8
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः |
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ||
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ||
niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ |
śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ ||
śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ ||
Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. Even the maintenance of your body cannot be accomplished without action.
Krishna grounds his teaching in the concrete and unavoidable: even breathing, eating, and existing are action. Niyata karma — duty aligned with one's nature — is not optional; it is the minimum required to live.