नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन | न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः || १८ ||
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ
na—never; eva—certainly; tasya—his; kṛtena—by discharge of duty; arthaḥ—purpose; na—nor; akṛtena—without discharge of duty; iha—in this world; kaścana—whatever; na—never; ca—and; asya—of him; sarva-bhūteṣu—among all living beings; kaścit—any; artha—purpose; vyapāśrayaḥ—taking shelter of.
“Such a person has no interest to serve by performing action, nor any loss from non-performance. Nor does such a person depend on any creature for anything.”
The liberated sage acts for the good of the world, not out of personal need. Having no personal agenda, his actions are perfectly aligned with the cosmic good. This is the paradox of liberation: the one who needs nothing gives the most, precisely because nothing is held back by self-interest. Until this state is reached, duty must be faithfully discharged.
While most of us still have needs and dependencies, we can cultivate the orientation of this verse by gradually reducing actions motivated by fear, status, or approval. Ask before acting: 'Am I doing this because it is right, or because of what I expect in return?' The more your actions are rooted in rightness rather than reward, the freer they become.