Karma Veda · The Practice of Accountable Action
कर्तव्य-दीपः
kartavya-dīpaḥ
Mūla · Original verse
Sanskrit
Anvaya
Plain English meaning
Let duty be a constant lamp and excellence its path. Service offered to the common good purifies the fruit.
Kāvya
Poetic rendering
Let duty be the small flame that remains when inspiration has left the room. Let skill become the clean glass through which that flame can serve.
Manana
Contemplation
Good intention without competence can still injure. Competence without service can enlarge selfish power. Karma Veda therefore joins duty, skill, humility, and public benefit.
Prayoga
Civilizational practice
Choose one responsibility, define a humane standard, acquire the needed skill, complete it reliably, and examine its actual effect.
Param Veda Upaniṣad · One-to-One Bhāṣya
Sit near the question
The companion moves from words and meaning to inward reflection, public application, boundaries against misuse, dialogue, and practice.
Padārtha · Key terms
kartavya — duty; dīpa — lamp; kauśala — skill or excellence; vartman — path; sevā — service; loka-hita — public good
Anvaya · Sequence of meaning
Let duty be a constant lamp and excellence its path. Service offered to the common good purifies the fruit.
Bhāṣya · Commentary
Duty remains when enthusiasm recedes. The lamp is small but steady; skill is the path that prevents good intention from becoming avoidable harm. Service purifies the fruit by turning competence away from prestige alone and toward the real capability and well-being of others.
Loka-saṃgraha · Civilizational application
Professional and civic roles should define humane standards, required competence, supervision, continuing learning, and responsibility for completion. A noble mission cannot excuse unsafe improvisation or work designed mainly to display the helper.
Maryādā · Boundary against misuse
Duty is finite and role-sensitive. No person can answer every need, and service without boundary can become exhaustion, resentment, or domination. The practitioner discerns what is truly theirs, what should be shared, and what must be referred.
Praśna–Uttara
Teacher and student
Prayoga · Practice
- 1 Choose one duty and define a humane standard of completion.
- 2 Acquire or request the skill and supervision needed before taking high-risk responsibility.
Saṅgati · Canonical correspondences