Shloka 5
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
मनुष्य न तो कर्मोंका आरम्भ किये बिना निष्कर्मताको यानी योगनिष्ठाको प्राप्त होता है और न कर्मोके केवल त्यागमात्रसे सिद्धि यानी सांख्यनिष्ठाको ही प्राप्त होता है ।। नहि कश्ित् क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् । कार्यते हवश: कर्म सर्व: प्रकृतिजैर्गुणै:,नि:संदेह कोई भी मनुष्य किसी भी कालमें क्षणमात्र भी बिना कर्म किये नहीं रहता; क्योंकि सारा मनुष्यसमुदाय प्रकृतिजनित गुणोंद्वारा परवश हुआ कर्म करनेके लिये बाध्य किया जाता है
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt | kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ ||
Wahrlich, niemand bleibt auch nur einen Augenblick ohne zu handeln; denn die ganze Menschheit wird durch die aus der Natur (prakṛti) geborenen Eigenschaften (guṇas) zum Handeln gezwungen.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Inaction is impossible: even momentary ‘doing nothing’ does not occur, because the guṇas of prakṛti continually impel embodied beings toward activity. Therefore ethical life is not achieved by mere external withdrawal, but by governing and directing inevitable action in accordance with dharma.
In the Gītā’s opening instruction on karma-yoga, the teaching addresses the misconception that one can attain spiritual perfection simply by avoiding action. The verse explains why Arjuna (and all people) cannot escape action, setting up the need for disciplined, duty-aligned action rather than flight from responsibility.