"Not by abstaining from action does one attain freedom from a…" — Krishna

Not by abstaining from action does one attain freedom from action, nor by renunciation alone does one reach perfection.

न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते | न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ||३-४||

Source

The Bhagavad Gita, translated and commentated by S. Radhakrishnan, is one of the most scholarly and accessible English renderings of Hinduism's most beloved scripture — the dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Radhakrishnan, philosopher and statesman, brings both rigorous intellectual insight and genuine spiritual depth to his translation and notes. This edition is treasured for its ability to illuminate the Gita's universal spiritual teaching across cultural and philosophical boundaries.

Author: Krishna
Tradition: Hindu
Source text: Bhagavad Gita
Chapter: Bhagavad Gita 3.4
Verse / page: BG.3.4
Topics: Karma Renunciation Action

Same theme, different voices

You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||२-४७||

A saint also has two wings — one in the form of God-knowledge and the other in the form of his own deeds. Without God-knowledge, action is blind, and without action, God-knowledge is lame.