Bhagavad Gita 4.20 meaningWisdom in action
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Happy with what you have, busy all day, yet free inside.” — like a peaceful mind in a busy life.
What it means
“Letting go of attachment to results, always content, depending on nothing — such a person does nothing at all, even while fully active.”
The original Sanskrit
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः । कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति सः ॥
tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ karmaṇyabhipravṛtto.api naiva kiñcitkaroti saḥ
Translations
Literal translation
Having given up attachment to the results of action, he who is ever-contented, dependent on nothing, he really does not do anything even though engaged in action.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
जो पुरुष, कर्मफलासक्ति को त्यागकर, नित्यतृप्त और सब आश्रयों से रहित है वह कर्म में प्रवृत्त होते हुए भी (वास्तव में) कुछ भी नहीं 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 · 4.21“Expecting nothing, with mind and body under control and no possessiveness, doing only what the body needs, they do no harm.”