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.