“For in this world, no one can stay without acting even for a moment. All are engaged everywhere helplessly in the sense of the qualities (gunas) born of nature (prakrti).”

Context of the Verse:

           This verse is a continuation from the previous verse (3.4) due to which Krishna made clear that mere renunciation and inaction does not lead to a spirituality goal. Now, Krishna explains that doing nothing is not an option: action is part of human nature.

           All of us are driven by the three gunas of nature, which are sattva (balance), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia), and these compel us to act in one way or another. Even sitting still is an sort of action (psychological, emotional or physiological).

Key Teachings in This Verse:

No One Can Avoid Action:

• Some kind of activity is always taking place, whether physical or mental. There is really no such thing as inaction in embodied life.

Nature Compels Us to Act:

• Material nature (prakrti) – through its three gunas – causes all activity. We do this not only because we actively want to but also because we are programmed to do this.

Illusion of Renunciation:

• If one thinks that merely renouncing actions on the outside is enough, it does not stop the internal forces – thoughts, forces of karma, etc. Real control is through discipline and awareness, not avoidance.

Helplessness in Absence of Self-Psyche Knowledge:

• Until we wake up to who we are, we are avasah (helpless), buffeted by our tendencies. Freedom is not being deluded, freedom is mastery.

Relevance to Arjuna:

           Arjuna does not want to fight the war, believing that not engaging in battle is the superior spiritual route. Krishna explains that he cannot avoid action, because:

• Even if he walks away from the battlefield, his mind, senses, and nature will still be there.
• His swabhava as a warrior makes him respond through rajo guna (action driven energy).
• Trying to escape responsibilities isn’t noble – it’s a fantasy that brings only contradiction and hypocrisy.

           So Krishna is slowly but surely leading Arjuna to understand that action with sincerity and detachment is to be embraced and far superior to hollow renunciation.

Explanation

           So, Arjuna is being warned by Krishna. Now you are telling I do not want to fight but you have got body of a Kshatriya. So helplessly you will engage in fighting.

           But now if you fight according to my instructions, your life would be glorious. You will become free from the bondage of work. Later if you file it according to your own whims, you will end up getting more entangled. So Krishna is telling without doing any work, even for a moment nobody is allowed not to do any work. Everybody is a helplessly being dragged by the forces of nature. Nature gives us the body and through this body nature controls us. Force is there of belly and thus we are forced to go out and take up some duty, job or business and we are forced to work hard to fulfill the demands of belly, grow food or earn money to have food. Then there is force of genitals, so one is forced to have a partner. And then one is forced to work to maintain the partner and then further extensions of the family. Then there is force of mind, mind wants name fame and for this again a person is put to hard work, certain kind of works. When a person gets tired body forces one to go to sleep. In this way, the body is continuously forcing us. So a person is helpless. A mout ‘death’ helplessly is driven towards fires. A dear helplessly is driven towards music, and then the hunter catches the deer, loses its life. In this way, we are helpless. Nature is forcing us to clean ourselves, to dress ourselves, to work harder, to eat, to sleep. So, we are completely helpless and we feel this helplessness in our lives.

           So in order to become free from this helplessness, we need to take instructions from Bhagabad Gita. But now Krishna is telling Arjuna, so please understand nature forces want to do certain duties. Now you may decline and I do not want to eat after some time hunger would be very strong and you will be forced to eat. In a similar fashion, please do not try to skip your duties immediately as long as you are driven by the forces of this body.