A sage’s actions are really no actions.
Neither does he really do anything. Wherefore,
नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् ।
पश्यन्शृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्श्वसन्स्वपन् ॥ ८ ॥
प्रलपन्विसृजन्गृह्णन्नुन्मिषन्निमिषन्नपि ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्त इति धारयन् ॥ ९ ॥
naiva kiñcitkaromīti yukto manyeta tattvavit .
paśyanśṛṇvanspṛśañjighrannaśnangacchanśvasansvapan .. 8 ..
pralapanvisṛjangṛhṇannunmiṣannimiṣannapi .
indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan .. 9 ..
Read the commentary
The truth-knower is he who knows the true nature of the Self, who sees the Supreme Reality.—When and how would he think so ever intent on the truth?—The answer is given thus: ‘though seeing, etc.’
The duty of the man who, thus knowing the truth and thinking rightly, sees only inaction in actions—in all the movements of the body and the senses—consists in renouncing all actions; for, he sees the absence of action. The man, for instance, who thinks of quenching his thirst in a mirage, mistaking it for water, will not, even after knowing that it is no water, resort to the same place for the purpose of quenching his thirst.
Karma-Yogin is untainted by the results of his action.
But as to the man who is not a truth-knower and is engaged in action :