6.4
Chapter 6, Verse 4
यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते। सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते৷৷
yadā hi nēndriyārthēṣu na karmasvanuṣajjatē. sarvasaṅkalpasaṅnyāsī yōgārūḍhastadōcyatē৷৷
Translation
When a man renounces even the thought of initiating action, when he is not interested in sense objects or any results which may flow from his acts, then in truth he understands spirituality.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
यदा when, हि verily, न not, इन्द्रयार्थेषु in senseobjects, न not, कर्मसु in actions, अनुषज्जते is attached, सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी renouncer of all thoughts, योगारूढः one who has attained to Yoga, तदा then, उच्यते is said. Commentary: Yogarudha he who is enthroned or established in Yoga. When a Yogi, by keeping the mind ite steady, by withdrawing it from the objects of the senses, has attachment neither for sensual objects such as sound, nor for the actions (Karmas, Cf. notes to V.13), knowing that they are of no use to him when he has renounced all thoughts which generate various sorts of desires for the objects of this world and of the next, then he is said to have become a Yogarudha.Do not think of senseobjects. The desires will die by themselves. How can you free yourself from thinking of the objects Think of God or the Self. Then you can avoid thinking of the objects. Then you can free yourself from thinking of the objects of the senses.Renunciation of thoughts implies that all desires and all actions should be renounced, because all desires are born of thoughts. You think first and then act (strive) afterwards to possess the objects of your desire for enjoyment.Whatever a man desires, that he wills And whatever he wills, that he does. -- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.4.5Renunciation of all actions necessarily follows from the renunciation of all desires.O desire I know where thy root lies. Thou art born of Sankalpa (thought). I will not think of thee and thou shalt cease to exist along with the root. -- Mahabharata, Santi Parva, 177.25Indeed desire is born of thought (Sankalpa), and of thought, Yajnas are born. -- Manu Smriti, II.2
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.