Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 4

यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते । सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते

yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasvanuṣajjate | sarvasaṅkalpasaṃnyāsī yogārūḍhastadocyate

Translation

When a man, renouncing all thoughts, is not attached to sense-objects and actions, then he is said to have attained to Yoga.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

yadā

when

hi

indeed

na

not

indriyārtheṣu

of the sense-objects

na

not

karmasu

in actions

anuṣajjate

is attached

sarvasaṃkalpasaṃnyāsī

of all, of wishings, renouncer

yogārūḍhaḥ

to yoga, attained

tadā

then

ucyate

is called

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

When a Yogin, keeping the mind steadfast, feels no attachment for the objects of the senses such as sound, nor thinks that he has to do any action — whether nitya (obligatory) or naimittika (obligatory and incidental) or kāmya (done with a motive) or pratiṣiddha (forbidden by law) — regarding it as of no use to him; and when he has learned to habitually renounce all thoughts which give rise to desires for objects of this world and of the next, then he is said to have become a Yogārūḍha. The words "renouncing all thoughts" imply that all desires as well as all actions should be renounced. For all desires spring from thoughts, as the Smṛti says: "Verily desire springs from thought (saṃkalpa), and of thought yajñas are born" (Manu ii.2).