Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 16

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।
तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥

Transliteration

kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayo.apyatra mohitāḥ .
tatte karma pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mokṣyase.aśubhāt ॥

Meaning

What is action and what is inaction? Even the wise are bewildered here. I shall therefore explain to you the truth of action, knowing which you will be freed from evil.

Word meanings

किम् – what
कर्म – action
किम् – what
अकर्म – inaction
इति – thus, as to this
कवयः – the wise, the learned
अपि – even
अत्र – here, in this matter
मोहिताः – bewildered, deluded
तत् – that
ते – to you
कर्म – action (its true nature)
प्रवक्ष्यामि – I shall explain fully
यत् – which
ज्ञात्वा – having known
मोक्ष्यसे – you will be freed
अशुभात् – from evil, from the bondage of samsara

Anvaya (word order)

किं कर्म किम् अकर्म इति अत्र कवयः अपि मोहिताः । (अतः) तत् कर्म ते प्रवक्ष्यामि यत् ज्ञात्वा (त्वम्) अशुभात् मोक्ष्यसे ।

Explanation

With this verse a new and profound theme of the chapter begins: discernment between action and inaction. Krishna has just said ‘perform action’, but He immediately adds that the true nature of action is not easy to grasp. ‘Kim karma kim akarmeti kavayo'py atra mohitah’ — what is action, what is inaction? Here even the wise are bewildered.

At first sight the question looks simple: doing something with the body is action, and doing nothing is inaction. But Shankara points out that this very assumption is the source of confusion. A person may sit perfectly still, yet if the ego says ‘I am resting’, that too is action; and a knower of the Self may be fully active, yet knowing the Self to be actionless, his action is in truth inaction. Outward movement does not decide what is action and what is not.

For Arjuna the question is personal. He thought that abandoning the battle would be ‘inaction’ and therefore sinless, while fighting would be ‘action’ and therefore sinful. Krishna hints that this very thinking is delusion. Running away from duty is also an action — and often a binding one.

‘Yaj jnatva mokshyase'shubhat’ — knowing which you will be freed from evil. ‘Ashubha’ here means samsara, the bondage of birth and death. The Lord's word is clear: freedom comes from the right understanding of action, not from abandoning it. In the coming verses He unfolds this deep mystery.

Context

In 4.15 Krishna told Arjuna to act as the ancient seekers did. Here He says that the right understanding of action and inaction is difficult, and promises to explain it. In the next verse (4.17) He says one must understand action, wrong action and inaction alike.

Life lesson

Looking inactive on the outside is not the same as peace or righteousness, and being active is not the same as bondage. Understanding the attitude and knowledge behind every act is the key to sound decisions.

Key terms

Karma: action; especially prescribed duty
Akarma: inaction; the state in which action no longer binds
Kavi: a wise and far-seeing person
Ashubha: the inauspicious; here the bondage of samsara