Bhagavad Gita BG 3.4
Chapter 3, Verse 4 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते । न च सन्न्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥ ४ ॥
na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo 'śnute na ca saṃnyasanād eva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati
Meaning
A person cannot attain freedom from karmic reactions (naiṣkarmya) simply by abstaining from work; nor can anyone attain perfection (siddhi) merely by formal renunciation alone.
Understanding
This verse strikes at two illusions. First: the idea that simply not acting (passive avoidance) can free one from karma. In fact, non-action is itself a choice with consequences. Second: the idea that putting on ochre robes and calling oneself a renunciant (saṃnyāsī) automatically brings liberation. Naiṣkarmya means 'the state of actionlessness' — the inner freedom from karmic entanglement that can only be achieved through the right kind of action, not through physical inertia. True freedom comes from working without attachment, not from fleeing work.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| नैष्कर्म्यम् | naiṣkarmyam | freedom from karma / actionlessness / the state beyond karma |
| अनारम्भात् | anārambhāt | by not beginning / by abstaining from |
| सन्न्यसनात् | saṃnyasanāt | by renunciation / by giving up |
| सिद्धिम् | siddhim | perfection / spiritual accomplishment |
| समधिगच्छति | samadhigacchati | attains / achieves completely |
| न | na | not (negation) |
| कर्मणाम् | karmaṇām | of actions (genitive) |
| पुरुषः | puruṣaḥ | a person / a man |
| अश्नुते | aśnute | attains / achieves / obtains |
| न च | na ca | nor / and not |
| एव | eva | alone / merely (emphatic) |