किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः।
तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्।।4.16।।
।।4.16।। कर्म क्या है और अकर्म क्या है इस विषय में बुद्धिमान पुरुष भी भ्रमित हो जाते हैं। इसलिये मैं तुम्हें कर्म कहूँगा (अर्थात् कर्म और अकर्म का स्वरूप समझाऊँगा) जिसको जानकर तुम अशुभ (संसार बन्धन) से मुक्त हो जाओगे।।
Exactly what is the nature of karma or action as performed by the aspirants treading the path to moksa or liberation from material existence and what also is akarma or inaction? By the term akarma is inferred true knowledge relating to the doer which is the atma or soul. What is the action which needs to be performed and what is the wisdom of inaction that is involved in such an action? Even persons of discrimination and knowledge are bewildered in this matter and confused do not understand this differences properly. Lord Krishna now promises to dispel all delusion in the intricacies of this subject. What is the purpose of performing actions as a matter of duty? The satisfaction consists in the knowledge of knowing why the duty is to be discharged. The knower is the person who performs works aspiring for moksa. The ignorant is one who performs work for sense gratification. The former performs work without egoism while the latter performs works full of egoissm. The former is eligible for liberation the latter is eligible for bondage. Why this is so difficult to understand is explained in the next verse.
