Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 - Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 13

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa - 1-13

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 5 -Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 13

Narada roaming the universe

Sarva karmani manasa samniasya aste sukham vashi I

nava dvare pure dehi na eva kurvan na karyan II sloka 13

सर्व कर्माणि मनसा संनिअस्य आस्ते सुखं वशी ।

नव द्वारे पुरे देहि न एव कुर्वन् न कारयन ।। श्लोक १३ 

Having mentally renounced all actions, the self disciplined in dweller rests happily in the city of nine gates, neither acting nor causing to act.

Karma varies in pattern according to the temperamental difference. There are also forms of karma distinct in themselves. The indispensable one among them is the obligatory work, nitya karma,  such as eating sleeping, bathing and praying. By doing these acts no new merit is acquired but by failing in them there is a sure setback. Naimitya karma  are special activities that are performed on special occasions such as Ekadasi, eclipse etc. Kamya karma  or desire-impelled activities  are those performed for certain earthly ends. Again, there are the nishiddha karma, the prohibited acts that run counter to ethics. While the obligatory works alone go on automatically by sheer force of habit, the yogi does not engage himself in any other forms of karma. This is possible because he is completely rid of egoism and agency. 

The body with its openings is aptly compared to a city of 9 gates. Like a monarch, atman stays enthroned  in this citadel, the administration of which is carried on by the ministry of egosim, mind, intellect, life energy and the senses. The reign over the region of the body lasts until the momentum of the prarabdha karma  gets exhausted. Even while residing in the body, the consciousness of it and domination over its activities is entirely absent in the yogi. Self, revelling in its own glory, is the gain that the yogi has.

The yogi holds that all activities belong to Iswara and not to himself. Is Iswara then the real doer of all deeds? This is answered in the next sloka