प्रवृत्तं च निवृत्तं च द्विविधं कर्म वैदिकम् । आवर्तते प्रवृत्तेन निवृत्तेनाश्नुतेऽमृतम् ॥ ४७ ॥
pravrttam ca nivrttam ca dvi-vidham karma vaidikam avartate pravrttena nivrttenasnute ’mrtam
- pravrttam
- inclination for material enjoyment
- ca
- and
- nivrttam
- cessation of material enjoyment
- ca
- and
- dvi-vidham
- these two varieties
- karma
- of activities
- vaidikam
- recommended in the Vedas
- avartate
- one travels up and down through the cycle of samsara
- pravrttena
- by an inclination for enjoying material activities
- nivrttena
- but by ceasing such activities
- asnute
- one enjoys
- amrtam
- eternal life.
According to the Vedas, there are two kinds of activities—pravrtti and nivrtti. Pravrtti activities involve raising oneself from a lower to a higher condition of materialistic life, whereas nivrtti means the cessation of material desire. Through pravrtti activities one suffers from material entanglement, but by nivrtti activities one is purified and becomes fit to enjoy eternal, blissful life.