6-1

अनाश्रितः कर्म फलम् कार्यम् कर्म करोति यः ।
स संन्यासी च योगी च न निराग्निर्न चाक्रियः ॥ १ ॥

anAzritaH karma phalam kAryam karma karoti yaH |
sa saMnyAsI ca yogI ca na nirAgnirna cAkriyaH || 1 ||

यः [yaH] The person who कर्म करोति [karma karoti] does the work​ कार्यम् [kAryam] that’s to be done अनाश्रितः कर्म फलम् [anAzritaH karma phalam] without depending on the outcome to drive him सः संन्यासी [saH saMnyAsI] is the one who has renounced outcomes. सः योगी [saH yogI] He works without being driven. न निराग्निः [na nirAgniH] He is not without fire, न च अक्रियः [na ca akriyaH] neither is he idle.

A person who isn’t driven by outcomes does his work as activity, even without the expectation that good deeds will do him good in return. This person works with an attitude- ‘I do this to worship the Supreme Lord​, who is the Self within every Self and our friend forever’. This person works with the activity itself as the goal, not anything else that’s achieved.

He has renounced all compulsions and is focused on the knowledge of the Self . He is skillful in his activity as well. He is a champion in his activity, doing it as a form of contemplating the Self.

This Shloka says that such a person is not without fire, neither is he idle. He is dedicated in his work and doesn’t avoid it. As described above, his activity is His worship. This dedication in activity is his focus to realize the Self.

Next, The Lord says that contemplation and realization are always embedded in such actions.