Not by abstaining from action does one attain freedom from action, nor by renunciation alone does one reach perfection.

This verse refutes the idea that liberation comes from doing nothing. Naiṣkarmya (freedom from action, being beyond karma) is not achieved by anārambha (not initiating actions).

Kṛṣṇa distinguishes two concepts that are easily confused:

• Physical inaction — simply not doing
• Naiṣkarmya — inner freedom regarding action

The first is external and can hide selfish motivations (laziness, fear, spiritual pride). The second is internal and can coexist with intense activity.

Saṃnyāsa (formal renunciation) also doesn’t guarantee siddhi (perfection). The monk who renounces externally but maintains internal desires has not truly renounced.

This verse frees the yoga practitioner from the false dichotomy between active life and spiritual life. You don’t need to withdraw from the world; you need to change your relationship with action.

Haṭha Yoga exemplifies this: it is intensely active (āsanas, prāṇāyāma, kriyas) but cultivates inner detachment.