Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 3, Verse 5
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत्।
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः।।
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः।।
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhatyakarma-kṛt
kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ
also searched as "na hi kashchit kshanamapi jatu tishthatyakarmakrit"
Translation
No one can remain still for even a moment without doing work; for everyone is compelled to act, despite themselves, by the Gunas born of Nature.
Vāṇi's rendering
No one sits actionless even for a moment. Nature's own forces drive everyone to act.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नna | not |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| कश्चित्kaścit | anyone at all |
| क्षणम्kṣaṇam | a single moment |
| अपिapi | even |
| जातुjātu | ever, at any time |
| तिष्ठतिtiṣṭhati | stays, remains (joined by sandhi to the next word as tiṣṭhaty-) |
| अकर्मकृत्akarma-kṛt | doing no action, action-free |
| कार्यतेkāryate | is made to do, is driven |
| हिhi | for, surely (appears as hy- before the next word) |
| अवशःavaśaḥ | without choice, helpless |
| कर्मkarma | action |
| सर्वःsarvaḥ | everyone |
| प्रकृतिजैःprakṛti-jaiḥ | born of nature (appears as prakṛti-jair before guṇaiḥ) |
| गुणैःguṇaiḥ | by the strands, the forces that compose nature |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 5 mean?
It means inaction is not a real choice. Even seated and silent, you are breathing, thinking, wanting — the guṇas born of prakṛti keep the machinery turning. Krishna is not shaming Arjuna's wish to withdraw; he is showing that the door Arjuna is reaching for does not exist. What remains is how you act, and from where.
What is the meaning of na hi kashchit kshanamapi jatu tishthatyakarmakrit?
No one ever stands even for a moment doing nothing. Every syllable presses the point — not anyone, not a moment, not ever. Krishna is closing a loophole before Arjuna can slip through it. The bow may be set down, but the setting down is itself an act, and it too has consequences.
If nature forces everyone to act, do I have any freedom at all?
Your freedom is not in whether the wheel turns but in your relationship to it. The guṇas will move the body and stir the mind. Whether you act grasping at outcome or offer the act freely — that remains yours. Krishna spends the rest of this chapter on exactly that narrow, decisive margin.
Does this verse mean renunciation is useless?
It means outward renunciation alone is useless. Walking away from work does not stop action; it only changes its shape, and often hides it. Krishna commends renunciation of clinging, not of doing. Give up the fruit, not the field. That kind of letting go can be practised in the middle of a full and busy life.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna wants a third option: not fight, not act, simply withdraw. Krishna closes it in one sentence. Sitting still is also something you are doing — the body breathes, the mind runs, the forces that make you up keep turning whether you consent or not. Renunciation of action is not available; only the manner of acting is. This is not a curse. It is the removal of a false exit, and it saves you the years spent looking for it. You will act today regardless. The question Krishna leaves you is not whether, but with what inside you.