12.10 Then work for my sake Krishna speaks

अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव
मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन् सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि

abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si mat-karma-paramo bhava
mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi

If you are unable even to practise, then make my work your highest aim. Doing what is to be done for my sake, you will reach perfection.

Explanation

Then let the work carry what the mind cannot.

The third rung. If you cannot hold the attention and cannot even keep up the practice of returning to it, then do the work — mat-karma, work for his sake — and that will do.

Notice what this concedes. The inner state has been the whole subject for eleven chapters, and here Krishna says that acting as if will get you there when the state itself is out of reach.

Word by word

abhyāse: in practice
api: if
asamarthaḥ: unable
asi: you
mat-karma paramaḥ: devotedly work for me
bhava: be
mat-artham: for my sake
api: also
karmāṇi: work
kurvan: performing
siddhim: perfection
avāpsyasi: you shall achieve