Bhagavad Gita 3.4 meaningWhy action matters
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“You don’t become free just by doing nothing.”
What it means
“You don't become free by simply avoiding action, and you don't become perfect just by renouncing the world.”
The original Sanskrit
न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते । न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
na karmaṇāmanārambhānnaiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo.aśnute na ca saṃnyasanādeva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati
Translations
Literal translation
A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from action; nor does he attain fulfilment merely through renunciation.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
कर्मों के न करने से मनुष्य नैर्ष्कम्य को प्राप्त नहीं होता और न कर्मों के संन्यास से ही वह सिद्धि (पूर्णत्व) प्राप्त करता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 3.5“No one can stay inactive even for a moment. Everyone is driven to act by the forces of their own nature.”