Gita 4.23
Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga
गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः। यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते॥
gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ | yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate ||
In essence: When action is offered as sacred sacrifice by one whose mind rests in knowledge, the action dissolves entirely—leaving no trace, no karma.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Guruji, how does action 'dissolve'? The action still happens—I still see the person doing things in the world."
Guru: "Observe carefully what dissolves. The physical action appears, yes. But what makes action become karma? It is the psychological claiming—'I did this,' 'I want this result,' 'This is mine.' When that claiming is absent, the action has no one to attach to. It dissolves like a dream upon waking."
Sadhak: "But even a liberated person must remember what they've done. Memory persists."
Guru: "Memory may persist as functional knowledge, but not as psychological burden. Think of an actor playing a villain. They remember the role perfectly, yet they don't carry guilt home. The jñāni's actions are like that—performed fully but not owned."
Sadhak: "What does it mean for the mind to be 'established in knowledge'? Isn't the mind always fluctuating?"
Guru: "The mind fluctuates, yes. But behind the fluctuating mind is awareness itself, which never fluctuates. 'Established in knowledge' means the identity has shifted from the changing mind to the unchanging awareness. The mind still moves, but you are not the mind."
Sadhak: "That sounds abstract. How would I know if I'm established in knowledge?"
Guru: "When circumstances that would previously devastate you now pass through like weather. When success and failure both feel like events in a dream. When action arises spontaneously without a sense of 'I must' or 'I want.' These are the signs."
Sadhak: "And what makes action a 'sacrifice'? Do I have to formally offer it to God?"
Guru: "Formal offering is a beautiful practice, but the deeper sacrifice is the dissolution of the doer. When there is no one taking credit, no one seeking reward, the action itself becomes sacred. It's not that you offer the action—you realize action was never yours to begin with."
Sadhak: "So the goal is to act while feeling like I'm not acting?"
Guru: "Not quite. That would be a subtle dissociation. Rather, action happens with full engagement but without the background commentary of 'me' and 'mine.' The hands move, the mind thinks, but there's no central 'I' orchestrating it all. Life lives itself through this form."
Sadhak: "If action leaves no trace, what motivates the liberated person to act at all?"
Guru: "Compassion. Playfulness. The sheer joy of existence expressing itself. When you're not driven by lack, action becomes like a fountain overflowing—it happens from fullness, not toward fullness. This is why the sages of old performed tremendous service while remaining utterly free."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Begin by sitting quietly and recognizing the awareness that is already present—before any thought, before any sense of 'I,' pure knowing is here. Rest as this awareness for even a few minutes. Then, as you enter activity, set the intention: 'May today's actions be offerings, performed by life through this form, leaving no trace.' Notice how this intention shifts the quality of your engagement.
Choose one routine action—perhaps preparing food, walking to work, or attending a meeting. Perform this action with full engagement but with the quiet background awareness that you are witnessing this action as much as performing it. Notice if there's a sense of 'I am doing this' and gently recognize: this doing is happening, but where is the doer? This practice begins to dissolve the false identification with doership.
Review your day with these questions: Were there moments where action felt effortless, almost self-happening? Were there moments of heavy doership where you felt burdened by responsibility for outcomes? What conditions allowed the effortless moments? Journal briefly on what you notice. End by consciously offering the entire day—its successes and failures—as a sacrifice, releasing any sense of ownership.