Summary:
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 18 – Part 2: The jñānī sees that the ahaṅkāra's attempt to “not do” is itself an action. True actionlessness comes from recognizing the kartā (mithyā body-mind) depends on Me (satyam), while I remain free as akartā (non-doer). Jnani has accomplished the highest, as nothing can be added to what is already limitless, so there is no pride, as pride implies a second thing to compare oneself to. Who gets enlightened? Awareness doesn't as there's no second thing to bind it, and mind/ego doesn't as it fluctuates. Thus enlightenment is removal of ignorance, or shift from mind taken as an independently existent being, to mind recognized as mithya. Actions continue through the jivanmukta's body-mind for the greater good, but without the “I have something to gain/lose” complex.
Revision of Previous Session:
Jnani’s vision is not about stopping action, but recognizing – in spite of action – nothing real is changing. Thus world’s power to enslave you is reduced. There’s no more person who has something to gain/lose, thus your decisions are entirely in name of “what is to be done for the greater good”. Owing to self-inquiry, that kartṛtva (doership) is a superimposition upon ātmā, like attributing movement to a still movie screen.
The Doership Test (right now): Without changing anything, notice: thoughts arise, a choice forms, words come out… and yet you (the knowing presence) did not ‘lift’ a single thought into existence. You only knew it. If doership were intrinsic to Ātmā, you should be able to stop the next thought by sheer will. Try for 5 seconds. You can redirect the mind, yes – but you cannot prevent arising itself.
Therefore: action belongs to the field (mind–body), and Ātmā remains akartā – ever the illuminator (knower, revealer, alutpa-drk; uninterrupted seer) of that which arises, remains and resolves.
Therefore the Jñāni acts with clarity, because the weight of doership (“That I have to make the right decision”) is gone, the weight of “there’s something for me to gain/lose here” is gone.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 18:
कर्मणि अकर्म यः पश्येत् अकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।
सः बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु सः युक्तः कृत्स्न-कर्म-कृत् ॥ ४-१८॥
karmaṇi akarma yaḥ paśyet akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ ।
saḥ buddhimān manuṣyeṣu saḥ yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt ॥ 4-18॥
The one who sees actionlessness in action and action in actionlessness is wise among human beings. That person is a yogin, who has done everything that is to be done.
“Jnani Sees Actionlessness (Consciousness) in Action” [karmaṇi akarma yaḥ paśyet]
Covered in prior session.
“Jnani Sees Action in (so called) Actionlessness” [akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ]
The Illusion of “Not Doing”
The wise person recognizes that any attempt by the ahamkara to “not do action,” is itself an action performed by the ahamkara. Early spiritual seekers believe renunciation of physical-actions (such as simplifying one’s life, becoming a bachelor) – makes them akartā – but this is self-deception.
Experiment: Sit or stand completely still, and you'll understand how difficult an action it is. When you say “I'm sitting quietly, not doing action,” you're the kartā doing the action of “not doing action”. The very effort of restraint, of nivṛtti (withdrawal), belongs to the doer and requires exertion (by the doer).
Therefore, long as the notion remains that “I am good as this body-mind” – both pravṛtti (doing) and nivṛtti (not doing) are centered on the body-mind.
The seeker thinks they've transcended action by sitting in meditation or practicing austerities, but they're still trapped in doership – the ego is now doing “spiritual practice” instead of worldly action.
And so the jnani sees the very attempt of remaining actionless, is an action.
True Actionlessness
True actionlessness isn't achieved by not doing – but by recognizing permanently, this karta (mithya body-mind) depends on Me (satyam), while I remain free of the karta.
A metaphor to help relate to this: H2O (Self) isn't crashing and peaking; but the wave (doer – the body-mind) is.
“That Jnani Has Done Everything That Is to Be Done” [saḥ yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt]
When you discover yourself as akartā (non-doer) / abhoktā (non-enjoyer), in one stroke, you (Self) are no longer bound.
For example, H2O (consciousness) isn't bound to the destiny of the wave (body).
You at once, reclaim what you always were; the limitless One. This is why the jnani has done all there is to be done – because you can’t have more then what is limitless/infinite. Additionally, there's no question of pride, as pride requires you to see yourself a separate entity from another.
From thereon, you recognize any puṇya / pāpa / sukha (pleasure) / duḥkha (pain) – is in reference to your body-mind – not to Me (Atma).
Who Gets Enlightened? Who Gains Knowledge of Reality?
Nobody gets enlightened. Here's why:
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- Ātmā is always whole/complete, in its original condition (limitless/infinite), ever-liberated, ever-self-evident. It was never bound, so it cannot become liberated. There's no second entity to bind Atma. Consciousness alone is.
- Ego/ahaṅkāra/buddhi – Cannot gain permanent knowledge because it is ever-changing (meaning by the time it gets enlightened, it goes into unenlightened state, or it’s enlightenment would fluctuate).
So what happens?
Ignorance (avidyā) is destroyed in one mind. That's it!
From the standpoint of the ignorant mind, it took itself as satyam (real, independent, self-existent). But upon removal of ignorance, that very mind/doer/ego is recognized as mithyā (whose substance is non-changing-awareness; that’s why there’s always awareness in ever thought).
Illustration 1: Snake-Rope
Suppose you see a snake, but someone else who sees clearly, sees a rope.
Was there ever a snake? No. Was the rope ever displaced by the snake? No.
The rope was always just rope (ātmā was always free).
The snake never existed (the bound ego never had real existence). Similarly, “mind” (or sense of individual I) never had absolute existence. It is merely a name-form of Consciousness.
Only the false notion “this is a snake” is removed. The false notion, “I am as good as this body-mind instrument” is removed.
What is ignorance? This body-mind is Me. And I am the body-mind.
What is knowledge? This body-mind is Me. But I am NOT the body mind.
Illustration 2: Metaphor of sun and clouds:
The sun (ātmā) is always shining, never stops being luminous.
Clouds (ignorance) block its visibility.
When clouds disperse (knowledge destroys ignorance), the sun is “revealed” – but the sun itself did nothing, never stopped shining. Additionally, when clouds return (when life gets difficult), you no longer seek for the sun.
Summary:
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- Ātmā was always free (never needed liberation)
- The bound ego (jiva) never truly existed (mithyā)
- Only the false identification/ignorance is removed
So the answer: Ignorance is destroyed. No one becomes enlightened because the “bound one” who seemed to need enlightenment never truly existed. In other words, there's no independent character to get enlightened. To claim “I am enlightened”, and have some type of pride about it, is to give the independent reality to mithya. One can certainly say, “I am enlightened”, but behind that statement, there's no pride, as pride indicates there's an individual (ego) that feels better about itself by attaching enlightenment label onto itself. In reality, enlightenment is coming to see, there's no second thing here.
Freedom from Saṁsāra
The enlightened one is freed from saṁsāra: the endless cycle of karma → karma-phala → janma → karma (action → results → birth → action).
As long as you take yourself as kartā, you're subject to this cycle:
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- Karma born of desire (kāma) produces results
- Results (karma-phala) accrue as puṇya and pāpa
- These manifest as pleasure and pain
- These necessitates rebirth to exhaust karma-phala (in form of pain and pleasure)
- New births lead to more karmas, perpetuating the cycle endlessly
But for the one who knows “I am akartā,” this entire mechanism collapses because you take yourself of the eternal story.
The Irreversible Knowledge
Once ignorance about ātmā is removed, ignorance cannot return. For instance, once know “this is a rope”, it's impossible for it to be mistaken for a snake again, unless the future rope changes and looks much closer to a snake. However, awareness NEVER CHANGES, so once it's known fully, it can't be mixed up with confusion again.
Kṛṣṇa describes this person as buddhimān (wise), he means one who has buddhi (intellect) to be used for the highest purpose: knowing the realities of self, world, and God – and what is to be done according to the needs of the environment, and not one's own pressures.
Why isn't jnani's actions driven by pressures? Because jnani's buddhi recognizes, “There's no independent entity living in this body. And the mind is merely software responding to the environment”. Thus there's no separate entity invested in gaining or afraid of losing.
Whereas the ajnani (non-enlightened being) believes, “Inside this body, is I. Outside the body, I am not. Thus let's feed and pamper this I living in the body”.
What Happens After Enlightenment?
Actions continue through the body-mind complex, but the doer-enjoyer identification is gone.
The jnani's body-mind continues to do the same thing it did before due to habits, personality and environment.
For such a person, actions aren’t done to invoke a pleased “I”; rather because they are simply to be done for the greater good.
The jnani’s bank account of punya-papa money is emptied out. Only prarabdha remains.
NEXT VERSE: Karma-phala for a wise person is burnt by the fire of knowledge…
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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.
Recorded 22 Feb, 2026