The Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3 · verse 3.5
No one can remain even for a moment without performing action. Everyone is helplessly driven to act by the qualities born of nature.
Sanskrit (Devanagari)
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत्। कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिगुणैः॥
Transliteration
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt; kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ
English translation
No one can remain even for a moment without performing action. Everyone is helplessly driven to act by the qualities born of nature.
Meaning — what the verse is actually saying
Action is not optional. Even sitting still is acting — the body and mind continue functioning. The fantasy of pure renunciation is an illusion. The real question is not whether to act but how.
Modern practice — what to do today because of this
Stop waiting for the right time to act. The choice is not "act or not act"; it is "act consciously or act unconsciously." Choosing the first is the entire spiritual project.