Shloka 47
Nārada’s Instructions: Śrāddha, True Dharma, Contentment, Yoga, and Devotion-Centered Renunciation
प्रवृत्तं च निवृत्तं च द्विविधं कर्म वैदिकम् । आवर्तते प्रवृत्तेन निवृत्तेनाश्नुतेऽमृतम् ॥ ४७ ॥
pravṛttaṁ ca nivṛttaṁ ca dvi-vidhaṁ karma vaidikam āvartate pravṛttena nivṛttenāśnute ’mṛtam
वेदांनुसार कर्म दोन प्रकारचे—प्रवृत्ती आणि निवृत्ती। प्रवृत्तीने जीव संसारचक्रात फिरत राहतो, आणि निवृत्तीने तो अमृत—शाश्वत आनंदमय जीवन—प्राप्त करतो.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (16.7) , pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ: the asuras, nondevotees, cannot distinguish between pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Whatever they like they do. Such persons think themselves independent of the strong material nature, and therefore they are irresponsible and do not care to act piously. Indeed, they do not distinguish between pious and impious activity. Bhakti, of course, does not depend on pious or impious activity. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6) :
FAQs
It explains that Vedic duties are of two types: pravṛtti (worldly engagement), which leads to repeated material cycles, and nivṛtti (renunciation), which leads toward immortality—liberation from saṁsāra.
In his instructions on proper human conduct (Canto 7, Chapter 15), Prahlāda clarifies the Vedic framework of action—showing how worldly pursuit binds one to repeated birth and death, while renunciation leads toward liberation.
Reduce actions driven purely by sense gratification, cultivate detachment, and align daily duties with spiritual goals—so work becomes purifying rather than binding.