Devanagari
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः ।
कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति सः ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
tyaktvā karma-phalāsaṅgaṁ
nitya-tṛpto nirāśrayaḥ
karmaṇy abhipravṛtto ’pi
naiva kiṣcit karoti saḥ
Synonyms
tyaktvā
—
having given up
;
karma-phala-āsaṅgam
—
attachment for fruitive results
;
nitya
—
always
;
tṛptaḥ
—
being satisfied
;
nirāśrayaḥ
—
without any shelter
;
karmaṇi
—
in activity
;
abhipravṛttaḥ
—
being fully engaged
;
api
—
in spite of
;
na
—
does not
;
eva
—
certainly
;
kiṣcit
—
anything
;
karoti
—
do
;
saḥ
—
he.
Translation
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.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
20. Though intently engaged in actions, having given up the desire for results of action, being always satisfied, non-dependent on others, this person does nothing at all.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
20. Though intently engaged in actions, but having given up the desire for results of action, being always satisfied in realization of ātmā, non-dependent on others, this person does nothing at all.
Purport
This freedom from the bondage of actions is possible only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when one is doing everything for Kṛṣṇa. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person acts out of pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore he has no attraction for the results of the action. He is not even attached to his personal maintenance, for everything is left to Kṛṣṇa. Nor is he anxious to secure things, nor to protect things already in his possession. He does his duty to the best of his ability and leaves everything to Kṛṣṇa. Such an unattached person is always free from the resultant reactions of good and bad; it is as though he were not doing anything. This is the sign of akarma, or actions without fruitive reactions. Any other action, therefore, devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is binding upon the worker, and that is the real aspect of vikarma, as explained hereinbefore.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This person is always satisfied by his own bliss (nitya-tṛptaḥ). He does not take shelter at all of anything for his livelihood (nirāśrayaḥ).
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse elaborates the point.
Having given up attachment to the results of work, satisfied with constant realization of ātmā to be accomplished in the future, devoid of taking shelter of anything even for livelihood, a person so qualified, though engaged in actions, does nothing at all. This is the state of ārurukṣu, one aspiring for the goal, in which one produces steadiness in jṣāna under the pretext of performing actions.
This indicates that one should understand that the very nature of vikarma or kāmya karma is to produce bondage. [Note: The Lord does not discuss vikarma in detail in these verses, though he mentioned it in verse 17.]