Chapter XVIII · Śloka 11
न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः ।
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥
na hi deha-bhṛtā śakyaṃ tyaktuṃ karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ |
yas tu karma-phala-tyāgī sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate ||
yas tu karma-phala-tyāgī sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate ||
Indeed it is not possible for an embodied being to abandon actions entirely; but one who relinquishes the fruits of action is truly called a renouncer.
As long as one has a body, action is unavoidable — even breathing is action. True renunciation therefore cannot mean cessation of action but rather freedom from fruit-seeking, which is always available.