न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते ।
न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
मनुष्य न तो कर्मोंका आरम्भ किये बिना निष्कर्मताको प्राप्त होता है और न कर्मोंके त्यागमात्रसे सिद्धिको ही प्राप्त होता है ॥
English
A person does not reach actionless freedom by avoiding action, nor by renouncing action alone does one reach perfection.
What this verse means
Freedom does not come from simply stopping action, and perfection does not come from merely giving things up. Real growth requires a deeper way of acting.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has asked for one clear answer. Krishna now corrects a false choice: neither doing nothing nor merely dropping responsibilities brings the highest state. The teaching must now move toward disciplined action without inner bondage.
Why this verse still matters
You quit the project, mute every notification, and hope the pressure disappears. It doesn’t. Relief comes when your relationship to action changes, not when action vanishes.
The takeaway
You can stop running without becoming free. What matters is the inner way you act, not just whether you act at all.
Word-by-word translation
न (not) / कर्मणाम् (of actions) / अनारम्भात् (from non-beginning) / नैष्कर्म्यम् (actionlessness) / पुरुषः (a person) / अश्नुते (attains) । न (not) / च (and) / संन्यसनात् (by renunciation) / एव (alone) / सिद्धिम् (perfection) / समधिगच्छति (reaches)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3: Karma Yoga — The Yoga of Action, which contains 43 verses.
Explore related themes: nishkama (14 verses), renunciation (14 verses), sannyasa (12 verses)