sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na kārayan
"Mentally renouncing all actions, the self-controlled embodied soul dwells happily in the city of nine gates, neither acting nor causing action."
What This Means:
The self-controlled person mentally renounces all actions, not physically stopping, but internally releasing ownership. They live happily in the body (the 'city of nine gates': 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, mouth, and 2 lower openings), neither doing nor causing anything to be done.
Going Deeper:
'Manasa sannyasya' (mentally renouncing) is key, true renunciation is internal. The body is poetically called 'nava-dvara pura' (city of nine gates), suggesting the soul is a resident, not an owner. 'Na eva kurvan na karayan' (neither doing nor causing to be done), the Self is completely uninvolved in action, even as the body acts. This is living as a witness.
How To Apply This:
Your body is a city you're visiting, you enter through nine gates to experience the world. But you're not the city, and you don't have to manage everything that happens. Live as a happy resident, not an anxious owner. The city runs itself; you just observe and enjoy.
Key Sanskrit Terms: