कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः | स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ||४-१८||
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyedakarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ .
sa buddhimānmanuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt ||4-18||
He who seeth inaction in action and action in inaction, he is wise among men; he is a Yogi and performer of all actions.
In simple words
Krishna shares a profound insight: "The truly wise person sees stillness within action, and action within stillness. A person who can do a hundred things and still remain completely at peace inside — that person understands what action really is."
Word-by-word meanings
कर्मणिin actionअकर्मinactionयःwhoपश्येत्would seeअकर्मणिin inactionचandकर्मactionयःwhoसःheबुद्धिमान्wiseमनुष्येषुamong menसःheयुक्तःYogiकृत्स्नकर्मकृत्performer of all actions
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Chinmayananda
Swami Sivananda
4.18 कर्मणि in action? अकर्म inaction? यः who? पश्येत् would see? अकर्मणि in inaction? च and? कर्म action? यः who? सः he? बुद्धिमान् wise? मनुष्येषु among men? सः he? युक्तः Yogi? कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् performer of all actions.Commentary In common parlance action means movement of the body? movement of the hands and feet? and inaction means to sit iet.It is the idea of agency? the idea I am the doer that binds man to Samsara. If this idea vanishes? action is no action at all. It will not bind one to Samsara. This is inaction in action. If you stand as s spectator or silent witness of Natures activities? feeling Nature does everything I am nondoer (Akarta)? if you identify yourself with the actionless Self? no matter what work or how much of it is done? action is no action at all. This is inaction in action. By such a practice and feeling? action loses its binding nature.A man may sit ietly. He may not do anything. But if he has the idea of agency or doership? or if he thinks that he is the doer? he is every doing action? though he is sitting ietly. This is action in inaction. The restless mind will ever be doing actions even though one sits ietly. Actions of the mind are real actions. Nor can anyone even for one moment remain really actionless? for helplessly is everyone driven to action by the alities of Nature. (Chapter III.5)Inaction also induces the feeling of egoism. The inactive man says? I sit ietly I do nothing. Inaction? like action? is wrongly attributed to the Self.He is the performer of all actions who knows this truth. He has attained the end of all actions? i.e.? freedom or knowledge or perfection.When a steamer moves? the trees on the shore which are motionless? appear to move in the opposite direction to a man who is in the steamer. Moving objects that are very far away appear to be stationary or motionless. Even so in the case of the Self inaction is mistaken for action and,action for inaction.The Self is actionless (Akarta or nondoer? Nishkriya or without work). The body and the senses perform action. The actions of the body and the senses are falsely and wrongly attributed by the ignorant to the actionless Self. Therefore the ignorant man thinks? I act. He thinks that the Self is the doer or the agent of the action. This is a mistake. This is ignorance.Just as motion does not really belong to the trees on the shore which appear to move in the opposite direction to a man on board the ship? so also action does not really pertain to the Self.This ignorance which is the cause of birth and death vanishes when you attain Selfrealisaion.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
# BG 4.18 — Translation of Meaning
According to the Vedantic tradition, when a person has engaged in righteous duty for a long time, a profound question naturally arises in the hearts of all sincere seekers: How shall they know that they have attained the state of perfection? In this verse, Sri Krishna describes that state.
Physical action is merely the gross expression of a conscious or unconscious desire seated in the intellect. The state of complete actionlessness should mean a state of desirelessness—this is called the state of perfect divinity. Yet the goal described here is not infinite perfection itself, but rather a station that lies along the pilgrimage of knowledge. A discerning person can readily observe that even when the body is inactive, the mind and intellect continue to work with full force. He also experiences that even while the body continuously performs actions, he can remain calm and steady, witnessing all these actions from the standpoint of a detached observer—remaining himself in actionlessness. This actionlessness is the supreme limit of the sattvic quality.
Such a person should be understood to have attained the great state of equanimity, which is essential for the success of meditation. Contrary to what many believe, it is not said here that righteous duty alone will grant us perfection. This is entirely impossible. Action itself is born of desire, and through actions we can only produce objects; and every produced object is by nature limited and perishable. Thus, divinity attained through actions would be a Sunday divinity, which shall depart from us by Monday. Sri Shankara and other great teachers repeatedly affirm that through the fulfillment of duty, a person whose heart is purified gains the capacity to witness both the movements of his own mind and the actions occurring externally with the attitude of a witness. When he realizes that his actions are but part of the universal actions occurring in the world, he attains an indescribable sense of equality—which is necessary for the practice of meditation.
A person cannot be called inactive merely by sitting quietly. Physical inactivity cannot be the measure of a person's actionlessness. It is a well-known fact that when we are absorbed in deep, constructive thoughts, we become completely still and inactive from a physical standpoint. Therefore, from the perspective of those who walk only on life's footpath, a person who appears inactive may have deep intellectual activity stirring within his heart. Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, a musician with his instrument, a writer with pen in hand—in all these, inactivity is sometimes observed, yet it is the inactivity of the sattvic quality, not of tamas. After these quiet moments, they present their finest creations. Thus, a person with the capacity for self-reflection can recognize action within inaction.
When a discerning person remains active in the world, he can, as it were, separate himself from all limitations and, remaining in actionlessness through the attitude of a witness, observe all actions taking place. When I write these words, some part of me can observe, as a witness, how the pen in my hand writes words upon the paper. Similarly, the capacity to remain in actionlessness while witnessing all actions is not rare. Whoever employs this capacity can clearly recognize in all actions this witness as remaining in actionlessness.
The train moves, but steam does not. The fan rotates, but electricity does not. Similarly, fuel burns, but fire does not. The body, mind, and intellect work, but the conscious Self does not.
Thus, the person who perceives inaction within action and action within inaction is called wise among all people. He is not called here a Self-realized being. Certainly, he is the greatest among people and very near to Self-realization.
In summary, the conclusion is this: When actions are performed with selflessness and the spirit of offering, the heart becomes purified, and the intellect gains the capacity to perceive inaction within action and action within inaction. This capacity is divine and supreme, for through it alone can we liberate ourselves from the bonds of worldly existence.
The knowledge described above is praised in the verses that follow.