Chapter 4: Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga – Renunciation of Actions through Enlightenment: Verse 18
कर्मण्यकर्म य: पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म य: ।
स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्त: कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥
karmaṇy-akarma ya: paśyed-akarmaṇi ca karma ya:
sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yukta: kṛtsna-karma-kṛt – 4.18
Whoever sees inaction or actionless-ness in action, and activity in inaction, is verily the wise person. He indeed is spiritually integrated. He is verily the all-doer, all-performer.
Chapter 4: Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga – Renunciation of Actions through Enlightenment - Verse 18
Ma Gurupriya
A cryptic, but paramount pronouncement indeed! Karma, action, denotes change or movement, involving only body, senses, mind, intelligence and ego; not the Self. Self is the subject of all objects like body and world. Activities are in the object ken alone. The Soul is free, full, as described earlier (2.19, 20). This is an absolute statement. Krishna repeats and confirms it variously.
See the Self always as bereft of all action, no matter how active one otherwise is. Equally so, even when the body is still, mind and the rest will be quite active. Digestion, circulation of blood and air are ceaseless processes. This is how one sees inaction in action, and action in inaction. Self being present in all bodies, its universalness renders one an all-performer too. This knowledge makes one wise and integrated.
Not physical action, but knowledge of non-acting Self, with the fallacy of inaction makes one an all-performer.
