Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 5

न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् । कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः

na hi kaścitkṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt | kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ

Translation

None, verily, even for an instant, ever remains doing no action; for every one is driven helpless to action by the energies born of Nature.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

na hi

not

kaścit

anyone

kṣaṇam

a moment

api

even

jātu

in reality

tiṣṭhati

stands

akarmakṛt

un-action-performing

kāryate

is made to do

hi

indeed

avaśaḥ

helpless

karma

action

sarvaiḥ

all

prakṛtijaiḥ

(by) the nature-born

guṇaiḥ

qualities

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The energies (guṇas) are three: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. 'Every one' means every living being that is ignorant (ajña), who knows not the Self; for it is said of a wise man that he is one "who is unshaken by the energies" (xiv.23). Since the Sāṅkhyas have been distinguished from the Yogins (iii.3), the Karma-yoga is indeed meant for the ignorant only, not for the wise.