Mahabharata 6.27.5 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 27, 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 ।।
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt | kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ ||
നിശ്ചയമായും ആരും ഏതുകാലത്തും ഒരു ക്ഷണമെങ്കിലും കർമം ചെയ്യാതിരിക്കുകയില്ല; കാരണം എല്ലാവരും പ്രകൃതിജന്യ ഗുണങ്ങളാൽ അധീനരായി കർമത്തിലേക്ക് നിർബന്ധിതരാകുന്നു.
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.
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