Sanskrit
ज्ञेयः स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति । निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ॥
jñeyaḥ sa nityasaṃnyāsī yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati nirdvandvo hi mahābāho sukhaṃ bandhāt pramucyate
Translation
He should be known as a perpetual ascetic, who neither hateth nor desireth; free from the pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed, he is easily set free from bondage.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Before arguing for karma yoga’s superiority, Krishna redefines “sannyasin” so it no longer means someone who has physically stopped acting. The real perpetual renunciate is marked by freedom from attraction and aversion — the pairs of opposites (dvandva) — an internal condition rather than an external one. This redefinition is what allows Krishna’s next two verses to claim that renunciation and yoga are the same thing: if renunciation just means non-attachment, a karma yogi who acts without attachment already qualifies as a renunciate.