Bhagavad Gita 4.21 meaningWisdom in action
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Expect nothing, keep your life simple, and you do no harm.”
What it means
“Expecting nothing, with mind and body under control and no possessiveness, doing only what the body needs, they do no harm.”
The original Sanskrit
निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः । शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥
nirāśīryatacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ śārīraṃ kevalaṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam
Translations
Literal translation
One who is without solicitation, who has the mind and organs under control, (and) is totally without possessions, he incurs no sin by performing actions merely for the (maintenance of the) body.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
जो आशा रहित है तथा जिसने चित्त और आत्मा (शरीर) को संयमित किया है, जिसने सब परिग्रहों का त्याग किया ह ै, ऐसा पुरुष शारीरिक कर्म करते हुए भी पाप को नहीं प्राप्त होता 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 · 4.22“Happy with whatever comes unasked, beyond the swing of opposites, free of envy and steady in success and failure — they are not bound even by action.”