Chapter III · Śloka 5
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् |
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ||
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ||
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt |
kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ ||
kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ ||
Indeed, no one can remain even for a moment without performing action. Everyone is driven to act helplessly by the qualities born of material nature.
The guṇas — sattva, rajas, and tamas — are ceaselessly active in every being. To imagine oneself passive is an illusion; the only real choice is whether action flows from clarity and freedom or from unconscious compulsion.