Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 16
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः । तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्
kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayo'pyatra mohitāḥ | tatte karma pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mokṣyase'śubhāt
Translation
What is action? What is inaction? As to this, even the wise are deluded. I shall teach thee such action, by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil.
— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri
Word meanings
- kim
- what
- karma
- action
- kim
- what
- akarma
- inaction
- iti
- thus
- kavayaḥ
- poets
- api
- also
- atra
- here
- mohitāḥ
- (are) confused
- tat
- that (therefore)
- te
- (to) thee
- karma
- action
- pravakṣyāmi
- will (I) declare
- yat
- which
- jñātvā
- having known
- mokṣyase
- (thou) shalt be freed
- aśubhāt
- from sin
Śaṅkarācārya's commentary
Even the wise are deluded as to what is action and what is inaction. Wherefore I will explain to you the nature of action and of inaction, knowing which thou shalt be released from the evil of saṃsāra.