|| 4.21 ||

निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः। शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।।

nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam

nirāśīḥ (without desire for the results) yata (controlled) citta-ātmā (mind and self) tyakta (giving up) sarva (all) parigrahaḥ (sense of possession) śārīram (pertaining to the body) kevalam (only) karma (work) kurvan (doing) na (not) āpnoti (does acquire) kilbiṣam (sinful reactions)

Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions, and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions.

Kṛṣṇa describes the simplified life of a yogī. Such a person acts with their mind and intelligence perfectly controlled. They have given up all ‘parigrahaḥ’, or the sense of ownership and the desire to accumulate things. They live for the sake of service, not for the sake of having. They perform only the work necessary to maintain the body and fulfill their duty. Because their heart is free from greed and ego, they never incur ‘kilbiṣam’, or sinful reactions. They are like a person driving a car that belongs to someone else—they take care of it, but they don’t think of it as their own. By reducing his needs to the ‘kevalam’ (bare necessities), the yogī reduces his points of contact with material illusion. Arjuna doesn’t have to become a beggar to achieve this; he just has to stop seeing the kingdom as his property. Real wealth is the freedom from the need to possess.