Bhagavad GitaBhagavad Gita 4.18
Chapter 4, verse 18: the Sanskrit, the Roman letters, the meaning and what it is used for.
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः
स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyedakarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ
sa buddhimānmanuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt
Meaning
One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among people, is a yogi, and has done all that is to be done.
Explanation
This is one of the most puzzling verses of the Gita. A common reading is that a person who acts without ego and without craving for the fruit is in a sense not acting, because action does not bind them; and a person who sits idle while his mind is busy with desire is in truth acting. The point is that what matters is the inner state, not only the outer movement.
Where it fits
This is verse 18 of 42 in chapter 4, "Knowledge, action and renunciation" (Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga). previous verse (4.17) · next verse (4.19)
Read more on this theme
Related verses
- Bhagavad Gita 2.38
- Bhagavad Gita 2.47
- Bhagavad Gita 2.48
- Bhagavad Gita 2.62
- Bhagavad Gita 2.63
- Bhagavad Gita 3.19
Questions people ask
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.18 mean?
One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among people, is a yogi, and has done all that is to be done.
Where is this verse?
It is verse 18 of chapter 4 (Knowledge, action and renunciation), which has 42 verses.
Meanings and explanations are our own wording, not an authorised translation. Readers of the Gita follow different traditions and teachers; please ask yours about what you read here.