na tasya kārya na karmaṇi na sa nandati na duḥkhati

na (not) tasya (of him) kāryāni (works) na (not) karmaṇi (actions) na (not) saḥ (he) nandati (rejoices) na (not) duḥkhati (suffers)

Advaita Vedānta (Ādi Śaṅkarācārya): This verse underscores the non-dual nature of ultimate reality. According to Śaṅkara, the Self (Ātman) is beyond all actions and their consequences, including happiness and misery. In his commentary on the Kaṭhopaniṣad, Śaṅkara explains that the liberated individual, having realized the identity of Brahman and Ātman, is untouched by the dualities of experience, including pleasure and pain. The phrase 'na tasya kārya' (for him there is no action to be performed) signifies the transcendence of all conditioned existence. This verse, therefore, points to the brahman-ātman identity, emphasizing that the true Self is actionless and unaffected by the world of becoming. As Śaṅkara notes in his Upadeśasāhasrī, the realized sage is 'nirvikalpa,' beyond all differentiation, and hence, 'na sa nandati na duḥkhati,' neither rejoicing nor suffering.

Vaiṣṇava tradition (Rāmānujācārya): This verse highlights the relationship between the jīva (individual self) and Īśvara (the Lord). According to Rāmānujācārya, the jīva, in its liberated state, is freed from the bondage of karma and its attendant suffering. The phrase 'na tasya kārya na karmaṇi' suggests that the liberated jīva has transcended the realm of action and its consequences, residing in a state of devotion to and dependence on Īśvara. Rāmānujācārya, in his Śrī Bhāṣya, emphasizes the importance of prapatti, or self-surrender, as the means to achieve this state. The liberated jīva, having surrendered to Īśvara, experiences a profound sense of peace and detachment, 'na sa nandati na duḥkhati,' untainted by worldly joy or sorrow.

Neo-Vedānta (Swami Vivekānanda): This verse offers a profound insight into the human condition, highlighting the universal quest for freedom from suffering. According to Vivekānanda, the verse points to the idea that true freedom lies in transcending the ego-bound self and its conditional existence. In his lecture 'The Freedom of the Soul,' Vivekānanda notes that the individual, caught in the web of karma, is bound to experience suffering and happiness, but the liberated soul, having realized its true nature, is beyond these dualities. The phrase 'na sa nandati na duḥkhati' signifies a state of inner peace and equipoise, untainted by external circumstances. This verse, therefore, has a practical application in contemporary life, encouraging individuals to seek a deeper understanding of themselves and the world, and to strive for a state of inner freedom and liberation, as embodied in the concept of 'mokṣa.'

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