Bhagavad Gita 4.23गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः।यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते ॥
gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-chetasaḥ
yajñāyācharataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate
Sanskrit recitation
What counts as real action · 4.16–4.23 · Teaching
Translation
To one who is devoid of attachment, who is liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, and who works for the sake of sacrifice (for the sake of God), the whole action is dissolved.
Hindi translation
जिसकी आसक्ति सर्वथा मिट गयी है, जो मुक्त हो गया है, जिसकी बुद्धि स्वरूपके ज्ञानमें स्थित है, ऐसे केवल यज्ञके लिये कर्म करनेवाले मनुष्यके सम्पूर्ण कर्म विलीन हो जाते हैं।
Meaning
One who is free from attachment, who is liberated from the bonds of Karma, whose mind is centred and rooted in wisdom, who performs actions for the sake of sacrifice, in order to please the Lord -- all his actions with their results melt away. His actions are reduced to nothing. They are, in fact, no actions at all.
After Swami Sivananda
What counts as real action· 4.16–4.23→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 4.16What is action? What is inaction? Even the wise are confused about this. Therefore, I…
- 4.17For verily, the true nature of action enjoined by the scriptures should be known, as well…
- 4.18He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction, he is wise among men; he is a yogi…
- 4.19He whose undertakings are all devoid of desires and selfish purposes, and whose actions…
- 4.20Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of the action, ever content, depending on…
- 4.21Without hope, controlling the mind and the self, having abandoned all covetousness, and…
- 4.22Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy,…
4.23To one who is devoid of attachment, who is liberated, whose mind is established in…
Word-by-word→
- karma
- action
- muktasya
- of the liberated
- samagram
- completely
- yajñāya
- as a sacrifice (to God)
- chetasaḥ
- whose intellect
- pravilīyate
- are freed
- ācharataḥ
- performing
- gata-saṅgasya
- free from material attachments
- jñāna-avasthita
- established in divine knowledge
Read this when you feel
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