The Blessed Lord said: Whoever acts without attachment to the fruits of action, fulfilling their duty — that one is both a true renunciant and a yogi, not one who merely abandons ritual fire nor ceases all activity.

Krishna establishes a crucial distinction: true saṃnyāsa is not ceasing all action, but rather acting without clinging to results. Traditional commentary distinguishes between the formal sannyāsī who abandons ritual fires (niragni) and the akriya who ceases all activity.

True renunciation is internal — renouncing the desire for fruits, not action itself. This is the bridge between the Karma Yoga of chapter 3 and the Dhyāna Yoga that will be developed here.