Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 4: Knowledge and the Renouncing of Action
Bhagavad Gita 4.18
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।
स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyedakarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ | sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt ||
One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is wise among people. That person is disciplined and has done all there is to do.
Modern context
This is the central riddle of the chapter. To see inaction in action is to see that a person can be fully at work while inwardly still, claiming nothing and craving nothing, so that the work does not bind. To see action in inaction is to see that sitting idle can be full of activity: restless thought, avoidance, and choices that have consequences. What counts is the state of the one who acts, more than whether the body is moving.