न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् | कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः
na hi kaścitkṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt . kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ
因為，沒有人能片刻不工作。所有人都被源於自性（Prakriti）的古納（Gunas）所迫使而行動。
Because, no one ever remains even for a moment without doing work. For all are made to work under compulsion by the gunas born of Nature.
古納（Gunas，自性的特質）有三種：悅性（Sattva）、變性（Rajas）和惰性（Tamas）。悅性代表和諧、光明或純淨；變性代表激情或運動；惰性代表惰性或黑暗。悅性行動幫助一個人達到解脫（Moksha）。變性行動和惰性行動則將人束縛於輪迴（Samsara）。這些特質無法影響一個擁有自性知識的人。他已經超越了這些特質，成為一個古納提塔（Gunatita，超越自性特質者）。無知的人，缺乏自性知識，被無明（Avidya）或無知所左右，無助地被古納驅使去行動。（參見第四章第16節，第十八章第11節）。
The Gunas (alities of Nature) are three? viz.? Sattva? Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is harmony or light or purity Rajas is passion or motion Tamas is inertia or darkness. Sattvic actions help a man to attain to Moksha. Rajasic and Tamasic actions bind a man to Samsara.These alities cannot affect a man who has knowledge of the Self. He has crossed over these alities. He has become a Gunatita (one who has transcended the alities of Nature). The ignorant man who has no knowledge of the Self and who is swayed by Avidya or nescience is driven helplessly to action by the Gunas. (Cf.IV.16?XVIII.11).