Shloka 18
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थों नाकृतेनेह कश्नन । न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रय:
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana | na cāsya sarvabhūteṣu kaścid arthavyapāśrayaḥ ||
فإنّ ذلك العظيم النفس، في هذا العالم، لا غايةَ شخصيةَ له تُنال بالفعل، ولا غايةَ تُنال بترك الفعل. وليس له في جميع الكائنات اعتمادٌ على أحدٍ لأجل مصلحةٍ ذاتية.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly accomplished person has no selfish purpose to fulfill either by acting or by not acting, and does not rely on others for personal gain; action, if undertaken, is grounded in dharma rather than need, reward, or dependence.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s battlefield discourse context, the speaker articulates an ethical ideal: the great-souled person stands beyond personal profit in both action and renunciation, indicating a model of inner freedom amid the demands of duty.