कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥
karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ |sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt ||
- कर्मणि · karmaṇi
- in action
- अकर्म · akarma
- inaction
- यः · yaḥ
- who
- पश्येत् · paśyet
- would see
- च · ca
- and
- सः · saḥ
- he
- मनुष्येषु · manuṣyeṣu
- among human beings
- युक्तः · yuktaḥ
- disciplined, steadfast
- कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् · kṛtsnakarmakṛt
- performer of all action (rightly)
“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction — that one is wise among human beings, disciplined, the performer of all action rightly.”
— Original plain-language translation
IN SHORT True wisdom sees stillness inside action and motive inside seeming rest.
The chapter's riddle-verse: the sage's outer work is inwardly free (inaction within action), while seeming idleness may churn with inner grasping. True discernment reads the inner state, not the outer posture. Such seeing is itself yoga. Like an office colleague typing busily yet daydreaming, while another sipping chai quietly solves the problem.
— Reader's notes (original)