The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action

Krishna reinforces the teaching through historical precedent. 'Pūrvair mumukṣubhiḥ' (ancient seekers of liberation) performed action ('karma kṛtam') after understanding this truth ('evaṁ jñātvā'). This connects back to verses 4.1-4.2—the ancient lineage knew this teaching. The instruction 'kuru karmaiva' (you too should perform action) is direct: Arjuna must act, just as ancient sages acted. The phrase 'pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṁ kṛtam' (done by even more ancient ones) emphasizes this isn't new—it's time-tested. This verse completes the answer to Arjuna's question from Chapter 3: action is necessary, but must be done with understanding (action without attachment). The closing of this section sets up verses 4.16-4.42, which will explore the nature of action in detail.