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 ||
Para esse grande-souled, neste mundo não há fim pessoal a ser alcançado por agir, nem há fim a ser alcançado por não agir. E, entre todos os seres, ele não depende de ninguém por interesse próprio.
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.