Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 16: The Divine and the Demonic Natures

Bhagavad Gita 16.24

tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau | jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi ||

So let scripture be your authority in deciding what should be done and what should not. Knowing what scripture prescribes, you should do your work in this world.

Modern context

Let scripture be your guide in deciding what to do. This verse is sometimes read as a call to rigid rule-following. But in the context of the whole Gita, it is more a call to humility: do not trust your desires alone; anchor your choices in something tested and wise. Krishna has spent sixteen chapters explaining the reasons behind dharma. He is asking Arjuna to act from understanding, not impulse.