Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 20

English Translation

Having given up attachment to the results of action, he who is ever-contented, dependent on nothing, he really does not do anything even though engaged in action.

Detailed Commentary

4.20. Elucidation -- 'Tyaktvā Karmaphalāsaṅgam' means that when an individual performs actions while thinking, 'This is my action, these are my resources, and its fruit will be mine,' then he becomes the basis for the action's result (Karma-phala). But those Mahāpuruṣas (great souls) who abandon attachment to action do not become the basis of Karma-phala. Just as an army fights for the king and the victory is attributed to the king, similarly, Mahāpuruṣas remain unattached to the fruits of action. Divine consciousness, which is imperishable and immutable (nirvikāra), has no real connection with Karma-phala, because this entire process is inert (jaḍa). 'Nirāśrayaḥ' means one for whom place (deśa), time (kāla), object (vastu), etc., hold no significance. Mahāpuruṣas are free from all such supports (āśrayas), hence they remain unattached (nirlipta). 'Nityatṛptaḥ' means that the Ātmā (self), which is a part of the Paramātmā (Supreme Self), is always complete and fulfilled. Worldly objects cannot provide satisfaction, as they are not eternal (nitya). Mahāpuruṣas experience this eternal contentment while remaining without external support (nirāśraya). 'Karmanyabhipravṛtto'pi Naiva Kiñcit Karoti Saḥ' means that Mahāpuruṣas perform actions for the welfare of the world, but their devotion (niṣṭhā) lies not in the result (phala), but in the action (Karma) itself. They remain unattached (nirlipta), therefore their actions become non-actions (akarma). They are not bound by Karma-phala. After describing the unattachment (nirliptatā) of a Mahāpuruṣa from actions in the nineteenth and twentieth verses, the Lord now describes the unattachment of a sādhaka (spiritual aspirant) devoted to renunciation (nivṛttiparāyaṇa) in the twenty-first verse, and of a sādhaka devoted to action (pravṛttiparāyaṇa) in the twenty-second verse.