Verse 20

In plain words

But whoever sees inaction within action becomes, simply through that seeing, one who has no more action left to do — a renunciate, whose only activity is to keep himself alive. Even though he was once engaged in action out of discernment, he no longer engages in it. But someone whose action is already under way, and in whom the right vision of the Self later arises, seeing no purpose left in any action at all, simply drops action along with its means. If for some reason he cannot drop it, being free of any attachment to action or its fruit, having no personal purpose of his own left to serve, he may go on acting as before, for the world's sake — but he isn't really doing anything at all. Because his action has been burnt by the fire of knowledge, what he does is really inaction. This is exactly what he is about to show, and so he says—

'Having given up, in his actions, the sense that he is the doer, and any attachment to their fruit' — through the knowledge just described, 'always satisfied, craving nothing among sense-objects' — that is the meaning. 'Without support' means without any reliance on the means to a fruit — seen or unseen, desired — the way one might rely on something to achieve a human end; that is what 'support' means here. Action performed by such a knower is, in ultimate reality, simply inaction, because he carries within him the vision of a Self that never acts. Since this is so, and he has no purpose of his own left to serve, it would follow that he should give up action along with its means entirely. But if there is no way to actually walk away from action, then — whether to serve the world's welfare, or to avoid drawing the criticism of the wise — he may go on acting as before; and yet, because he carries that vision of the actionless Self, he is not really doing anything at all.

Close to the Sanskrit

But whoever is a seer of inaction and the like [in action] — he, simply from that seeing of inaction and the like, becomes actionless, a renunciate, whose only activity is for the sake of mere subsistence, being so, does not engage in action, although he was formerly engaged, out of discernment. But whoever, having action already under way [prārabdha-karma], being so, should later have the right vision of the Self arise in him — he, seeing no purpose at all in any action, simply gives up action together with its means. For some reason, action being impossible to abandon, being free of attachment toward action and its fruit, and having no purpose of his own, he, though engaged in action as before for the welfare of the world, does not actually do anything at all; because his action is burnt by the fire of knowledge, his own action becomes precisely inaction. He is about to show this meaning, and so he says —

'Having abandoned, in his actions, the sense of ownership, and attachment to fruit,' by the knowledge just described, 'constantly satisfied, without craving for sense-objects' — this is the meaning. 'Without support' — devoid of support; and 'support' here means that which, relying on it, one seeks to accomplish a human goal — this means: devoid of any reliance on the means to a desired fruit, seen or unseen. Action that is performed by such a knower is, in ultimate reality, precisely inaction, because he is endowed with the vision of the actionless Self. Being so, having no purpose of his own, it would follow that action, together with its means, should indeed be given up by him; but if escaping action is impossible, then, out of the wish to serve the world's welfare, or to avoid the censure of the virtuous, though he remains engaged in action as before, because he is endowed with the vision of the actionless Self, he does not actually do anything at all. || 20 ||

In plain words

10. The Qualifications of Guru and Disciple “Brother-in-law! Dhanañjaya, only he who truly sees karma and akarma as they are is a real paṇḍita. No one should be thought a paṇḍita merely for learning by heart what is in a book and lodging it in his head. He is no paṇḍita. Only he whose Buddhi is fit for samyag-darśana is called a paṇḍita. For one who has earned such wealth of Jñāna, all karmas can be shattered to pieces (in the jñāni's own view). The fire of Jñāna has that power to burn. Some, however, hold that even jñānis must without fail undergo prārabdha karma; this rests on the view of others. To others it only seems that the jñāni has prārabdha; in his own view there is none. He who does not depend on worldly objects, who does not crave the pleasures of the senses, whom vāsanās and desires of every kind have left: in such a one, sound and the rest cannot exert even their influence. Only he who has reached this state earns the name of sannyāsi. He alone has cast off all possessions. He alone is the jñāni: one who, never depending on external objects or sense-objects, finds contentment in himself, by himself. He is the great soul, the paṇḍita, who has seen akarma in karma and karma in akarma. Though such a person goes on engaging in karma, he is not in the least answerable for those karmas. The jñāni has no desire for the fruit. Perhaps you ask, what is the reason? Listen! He is ever content, and the one who is content leans on nothing. He is without the feeling of doership. Whatever comes to him, unfavourable or favourable, whether by prārabdha through the will of others or by prārabdha unwilled, he meets without rāga and dveṣa and remains ever content. He is also called ‘yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭa’. Knowing that whatever happens happens by God's will, serene in unbroken Praśānti, with unwavering citta, he dances the tāṇḍava in abiding Ānanda. The one who has contentment is the jñāni; the discontented one is the ajñāni.” So Kṛṣṇa Paramātma taught.