The Bhagavad Gita · chapter 4 of 18 · 42 verses · हिंदी में पढ़ें
4. The Yoga of Knowledge and the Renunciation of Action
Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga (ज्ञानकर्मसन्न्यासयोग)
descent
Summary
Krishna reveals that this teaching is ancient — given first to the sun-god Vivasvan, passed down through a lineage. Then he speaks the famous verses on avatāra: whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, the divine takes form to restore the balance. He distinguishes selfish action from sacrificial action, and lists many forms of yajña (sacrifice/offering).
Key teaching
Knowledge and action are not opposed. The wise see action in inaction and inaction in action. Real renunciation is not stopping the work; it is performing the work without the false author "I did this." Knowledge alone, without grounded action, is sterile; action alone, without the steadying knowledge, is exhausting.
Modern application — what to do today because of this
Combine the two: act with full effort, but watch yourself act — keep a thread of awareness that knows the body is moving, the mind is choosing, and the "I" that takes credit is a story being added on top. Both productivity and equanimity get easier.
Famous verses from this chapter