Renunciation of fruit - its full meaning

(1) The complete renunciation of rajasik and tamasik actions.

(2) Renouncing the fruit of this renunciation; even about this, let there be no egoism or pride.

(3) Without giving up the forms of saattvik action, renouncing only their fruit.

(4) Those saattvik actions which are to be performed after renouncing the fruit, even if they have imperfections, should be performed.

(5) By constantly performing such saattvik actions with renunciation of fruit, the mind and heart get purer and purer, and thus, - from intensity to gentleness, from gentleness to subtlety, from subtlety to nothingness - activity finally ceases.

(6) Activity disappears, but action - action benefiting the world - continues to take place.

(7) Even of saattvik actions, we should perform only those which come to us naturally. We should keep aloof from those actions that do not fall to us by nature, no matter how good they seem. We should not be deluded by them.

(8) Even the svadharma that comes to us naturally is of two kinds, one changing, the other permanent, varna-dharma does not change, but ashrama-dharma keeps changing. The svadharma that ought to change, we should go on changing.

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