Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 4: Knowledge and the Renouncing of Action

Bhagavad Gita 4.15

evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvairapi mumukṣubhiḥ | kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam ||

Knowing this, the seekers of freedom in ancient times also performed action. So you too should act, as the ancients did before you.

Modern context

Those who wanted freedom did not walk away from work. Knowing how action can be free of bondage, they went on acting. It is a common mistake to think that the spiritual life begins where responsibility ends. Krishna points to the example of the people who actually reached the goal, and all of them acted. When we are unsure how to live, it helps to look at how the best people before us lived.