Anvayaअन्वय
← Bhagavad Gītā · chapter 4

BG 4.20

Bhagavad Gītā · Jñāna YogaupagIti

त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः | कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति सः ||४-२०||

tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ . karmaṇyabhipravṛtto.api naiva kiñcitkaroti saḥ ||4-20||

Linguistic facts

Meter · chandasVidyut

upagIti · 16+16 syllables

scansion (laghu/guru)
tyaGktvāGkaGrmaLphaLGsaGṅgaṃGniGtyaLtṛGptoGniLGśraLyaḥG
kaGrmaGṇyaLbhiGpraLvṛGttoGpiLnaiGvaLkiGñciGtkaLroGtiLsaḥG
Sandhi · pada-pāṭhaVidyut
त्यक्त्वाकर्मफलासङ्गम्नित्यतृप्तोनिराश्रयस्कर्मणिअभिप्रवृत्तस्अपिएवकिञ्चित्करोतिसस्
Word-by-word morphologyVidyut
12 words analyzed
  • त्यक्त्वाtyaktvāत्यज्indeclinable
  • कर्मफलासङ्गम्karmaphalāsaṅgamunknown
  • नित्यतृप्तोnityatṛptounknown
  • निराश्रयस्nirāśrayasनिराश्रयnominal · nominative singular masculine
  • कर्मणिkarmaṇiकर्मन्nominal · locative singular neuter
  • अभिप्रवृत्तस्abhipravṛttasअभिप्रवृत्nominal · nominative singular masculine
  • अपिapiअपिindeclinable
  • nanominal · vocative singular neuter
  • एवevaएवnominal · vocative singular neuter
  • किञ्चित्kiñcitकिंचिद्nominal · vocative singular neuter
  • करोतिkarotiकृverb · present third singular active (√kṛ)
  • सस्sasnominal · nominative singular masculine
Recitationtool-derived · pending

Facts come from Vidyut (deterministic), never the model. Automated segmentation isn’t hand-verified — gaps are shown, not guessed.

Translations

Swami SivanandaRelay

4.20 Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of the action, ever content, depending on nothing, he does not do anything though engaged in activity.

source ↗
8 more attributed translations
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaRelay

Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of undertakings.

Dr.S.SankaranarayanRelay

4.20. By abandoning attachment for fruits of actions, remaining ever content and depending on nothing, that person, even though he is engaged in action, does not at all perform anything.

Shri Purohit SwamiRelay

4.20 Having surrendered all claim to the results of his actions, always contented and independent, in reality he does nothing, even though he is apparently acting.

Sri Abhinav GuptaRelay

4.20 See Comment under 4.21

Sri RamanujaRelay

4.20 Whoever performs actions, renouncing attachment to their fruits and is satisfied with the eternal, i.e., satisfied with his own self, and dependent on none, i.e., devoid of dependence on transient Prakrti (body and external nature) - such a perosn, even though fully engaged in actions, does not act at all. He is engaged in the practice of knowledge under the form of action. Again, Karma, having the form of knowledge, is examined:

Sri ShankaracharyaRelay

4.20 With the help of the above-mentioned wisdom, tyaktva, having given up the idea of agentship; and phala-asangam, attachment to the results of action; he who is nitya-trptah, ever-trptah, ever-contented, i.e. has no hankering for objects; and nirasrayah, dependent on nothing-. Asraya means that on which a person leans, desiring to achieve some human goal. The idea is that he is dependent of any support which may be a means of attaining some coveted seen or unseen result. In reality, actions done by a man of Knowledge are certainly inactions, since he is endowed with the realization of the actionless Self. Actions together with their accessories must be relinished by one who has become thus, because they have no end to serve. This being so, api, even though; he remains abhi-pravrttah, engaged as before; karmani, in actions-getting out of those (actions) being impossible-, either with the intention of preventing people from going astray or with a view to avoiding the censure of the wise people; sah, he; eva, really; na karoti, does not do; kincit, anything, because he is endued with the realization of the actionless Self. [From the subjective standpoint of the enlightened there are no actions, but ordinary people mistakenly think them to be actions, which in reality are a mere semblance of it.] On the other hand, one who is the opposite of the above-mentioned one, (and) in whom, even before undertaking works, has dawned the realization of his identity with Brahman, the all-pervasive, inmost, actionless Self; who,being bereft of solicitation for desirable objects seen or unseen, has renounced actions along with their accessories, by virtue of seeing no purpose to be served by undertaking actions meant to secure some seen or unseen result, and makes effort only for the maintenance of the body, he, the monk steadfast in Knowledge, becomes free. Hence, in order to express this idea the Lord says:

Swami AdidevanandaRelay

4.20 Having renounced attachment to the fruits of his actions, ever contented with the eternal self, and dependent on none, one does not act at all, even though engaged in action.

Swami GambiranandaRelay

4.20 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.

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