Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 3

ज्ञेयः स नित्यसन्न्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति | निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ||

jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate

He should be known as a perpetual renunciant who neither hates nor desires. Free from pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he is easily freed from bondage.

Krishna defines what true renunciation means: a perpetual renunciant (nitya-sannyāsī) is one who neither hates (dveṣṭi) nor desires (kāṅkṣati). This is the key insight: true renunciation isn't physical withdrawal—it's inner detachment from likes and dislikes. The phrase 'nirdvandvaḥ' (free from pairs of opposites) means free from dualities like pleasure/pain, success/failure, praise/blame. When you're not pulled by desire or pushed by aversion, you're truly renounced—regardless of whether you're acting or not. This inner state is what matters, not physical withdrawal. Such a person is easily freed from bondage (bandhāt pramucyate) because they're not attached to outcomes.