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न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते। न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति।।3.4।।

na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣhkarmyaṁ puruṣho ’śhnute na cha sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigachchhati

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 3, Verse 4
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Man does not reach actionlessness by not performing actions; nor does he attain perfection by mere renunciation.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: no one reaches freedom from action simply by not acting, and no one reaches fulfillment through mere renunciation, inaction is not automatically virtue.

In life: avoiding a decision doesn't make you wiser, it just delays the decision.

Teaching: don't mistake doing nothing for doing the right thing. Inaction is still a choice with consequences.

nanot
karmaṇāmof actions
anārambhātby abstaining from
naiṣhkarmyamfreedom from karmic reactions
puruṣhaḥa person
aśhnuteattains
nanot
chaand
sannyasanātby renunciation
evaonly
siddhimperfection
samadhigachchhatiattains

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
3.4 न not? कर्मणाम् of actions? अनारम्भात् from nonperformance? नैष्कर्म्यम् actionlessness? पुरुषः man? अश्नुते reaches? न not? च and? संन्यसनात् from renunciation? एव only? सिद्धिम् perfection? समधिगच्छति attains.Commentary Actionlessness (Naishkarmyam) and perfection (Siddhi) are synonymous. The sage who has attained to perfection or reached the state of actionlessness rests in his own essential nature as ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute (Satchidananda Svarupa). He has neither necessity nor desire for action as a means to an end. He has perfect satisfaction in the Self.One attains to the state of actionlessness by gaining the knowledge of the Self. If a man simply sits iet by abandoning action you cannot say that he has attained to the state of actionlessness. His mind will be planning? scheming and speculating. Thought is real action. The sage who is free from affirmative thoughts? wishes? and likes and dislikes? who has the knowledge of the Self can be said to have attained to the state of actionlessness.No one can reach perfection or freedom from action or knowledge of the Self by mere renunciation or by simply giving up activities without possessing the knowledge of the Self. (Cf.XVIII.49).