न कर्मणामनारम्भान् नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते ।न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
na karmaṇāmanārambhān naiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo’śnutena ca saṃnyasanādeva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati
Not by abstention from works does a man enjoy actionlessness, nor by mere renunciation (of works) does he attain to his perfection (to siddhi, the accomplishment of the aims of his self-discipline by Yoga).
Gītā 3·4naiṣkarmya, a calm voidness from works, is no doubt that to which the soul, the Purusha has to attain; for it is Prakriti which does the work and the soul has to rise above involution in the activities of the being and attain to a free serenity and poise watching over the operations of Prakriti, but not affected by them. That, and not cessation of the works of Prakriti, is what is really meant by the soul’s naiṣkarmya. Therefore it is an error to think that by not engaging in any kind of action this actionless state of the soul can be attained and enjoyed.
