Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 4

न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते | न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ||

na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo 'śnute na ca sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigacchati

A person cannot attain freedom from action merely by abstaining from action, nor can one attain perfection simply by renunciation.

Krishna corrects a dangerous misunderstanding: you can't reach 'naiṣkarmyam' (freedom from the bondage of action) by simply avoiding action, nor can you attain 'siddhi' (perfection) through mere external renunciation. This addresses people who think: 'If I just quit everything and withdraw, I'll be free.' True freedom isn't from action itself but from attachment to outcomes. Simply not acting is passive avoidance. And becoming a monk while inner attachments remain doesn't bring perfection. What matters is how you engage with action, not whether you avoid it.