Bhagavad Gita 3.5
Karma Yoga · English Translation
Sanskrit
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् | कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ||३-५||
Transliteration
na hi kaścitkṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt . kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ ||3-5||
Verily none can ever remain for even a moment without performing action; for everyone is made to act helplessly indeed by the alities born of Nature.
Word by Word
नहि not, कश्चित् anyone, क्षणम् a moment, अपि even, जातु verily, तिष्ठति remains, अकर्मकृत् without performing action, कार्यते is made to do, हि for, अवशः helpless, कर्म action, सर्वः all, प्रकृतिजैः born of Prakriti, गुणैः by the alities
Classical Commentary
The Gunas (alities of Nature) are three, viz.? Sattva? Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is harmony or light or purity Rajas is passion or motion Tamas is inertia or darkness. Sattvic actions help a man to attain to Moksha. Rajasic and Tamasic actions bind a man to Samsara. These alities cannot affect a man who has knowledge of the Self. He has crossed over these alities. He has become a Gunatita (one who has transcended the alities of Nature). The ignorant man who has no knowledge of the Self and who is swayed by Avidya or nescience is driven helplessly to action by the Gunas. (Cf. IV.16?XVIII.11).