Bhagavad Gita 4.16 · Krishna
Even the wise get confused
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः।
तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्॥
kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayo’apyatra mohitāḥtatte karma pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mokṣyase’aśubhāt
What is action? What is inaction? Even the wise are confused. I will explain it, and you will be free from harm.
Words
- karma
What it means
Krishna admits the question is hard. What counts as action? What counts as not acting? Even kavi, the wise poets and sages, get confused. So he promises to explain. Understanding karma rightly, he says, will free Arjuna from ashubha, from what harms.
The story
Arjuna thought putting down his bow meant not acting. Krishna is about to show him that even that is a choice with consequences. The line between action and inaction is subtler than it looks.
In your life
Picture someone who stays silent while a friend makes a terrible mistake, telling themselves, I didn't do anything. But silence was a choice. Notice where your inaction is actually a decision.
Not acting is also a kind of act.