कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः ।लोकसंग्रहमेवापि संपश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि ॥
karmaṇaiva hi saṃsiddhimāsthitā janakādayaḥ |lokasaṃgrahamevāpi saṃpaśyankartumarhasi ||
It was through action alone that Janaka and others reached perfection. Mindful also of holding the world together, you ought to act.
Explanation
Krishna answers Arjuna's wish to give up action by pointing to King Janaka and other wise rulers, who found perfection (saṃsiddhi) while still doing their duties. He adds a second reason to act: the welfare and steadiness of society (lokasaṅgraha), which depends on good example. Some commentators read 'perfection' as liberation reached through action done without attachment; others stress that the verse also affirms social duty as valuable in itself.