Living from Wholeness: Inner Freedom Through Enlightened Action
Chapter 3 v. 17-19
How do we live in freedom, free from striving? These timeless teachings show how contentment in the Self leads to joyful, purposeful action.
To live from wholeness is to abide in the Self, inwardly fulfilled and free from the compulsion to strive or prove.
The Bhagavad Gita reveals that the soul’s joy is our natural state, and that true freedom begins when we are no longer driven by desire for gain or fear of loss. Anchored in the Self, the awakened one delights in inner contentment and moves through life with clarity and grace. This teaching invites us to consider the possibility of enlightened action—action that arises not from restless seeking, but from the fullness of being.
The Experience of Fulfillment
In the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, verses 3.17–3.19 offer a glimpse of the life that is free, whole, and in harmony with divine purpose—the inner freedom of those who have realized the Self. These verses speak to the profound possibility of being anchored in the Self and living from wholeness—free from compulsion, satisfied from within.
In verse 3.17, we are given a glimpse into the life of one who has realized the Self. The Sanskrit verse describes such a one with three key terms: Atma-rati, Atma-tripta, and Atma-santushta. These three expressions describe the one who delights in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self, and who is content in the Self alone. This state of contentment is the natural fruit of spiritual realization.
"Fulfillment does not come from getting—but from being. From abiding in the soul’s joy. From living awake. This is the joy of right action."
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian
As Eknath Easwaran translates verse 3.17:
“Those who realize the Self are always satisfied.
Having found the source of joy and fulfillment,
they no longer seek happiness from the external world.”
Think about what that would be like—to be always satisfied. The one who realizes the Self is no longer compelled by the search for happiness outside of themselves. They are no longer seeking. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment within, they are anchored in self-awareness and experience sublime satisfaction—the fullness of being that brings freedom from seeking any pleasure, recompense, or compensation.
There is nothing to add on. Nothing more needed. No striving, no becoming. Just wholeness.
This vision is beautifully mirrored in the invocation from the Isha Upanishad:
“All that is full,
all this is full.
From fullness comes fullness.
Take fullness from fullness,
and fullness yet remains.”
When we rest in that fullness, the mind becomes quiet. There is no hunger, no grasping, no seeking. Only peace.
Delight, Satisfaction, and Contentment
Another translation of the Bhagavad Gita verse 3.17, by Armstrong and Rishi, gives us insight into these qualities of an awakened soul:
“One who is atma-rati—in a state of divine pleasure from their true Self,
and is atma-tripta—enlightened from within,
as well as atma-santushta—entirely content with their own Self,
is no longer compelled to any external material action.”
This verse offers us a progression: delight, satisfaction, and contentment. Each one expresses a distinct quality, and together they form a comprehensive picture of one who abides in the Self.
To delight in the Self means to consciously experience the bliss of our essential nature. This is the aftereffect of Kriya Yoga meditation. When the mind becomes calm and clear, and our awareness expands, we experience the delight of our own being. As Paramahansa Yogananda said: “Don’t stop meditating before you get there.” That joy is the sign. It is the inner confirmation that we are anchored in the Self. That joy is not always ecstatic—it may be a radiant calmness, a sense of wholeness, of sufficiency. We are simply at peace. No hunger, no longing. No sense that something must change. Just being.
From that delight, satisfaction arises. The experience of the Self satisfies all yearning. Once we taste that joy, we no longer believe that some future event or acquisition will fulfill us. We are satisfied now.
And then contentment dawns. Not only are we satisfied—we rest in that satisfaction. We are no longer striving. There is no compulsion to act, no drive to prove anything or gain anything.
Shri Baba Hari Dass offered a succinct commentary:
“But he who takes delight in the Self,
who is satisfied with the Self,
who is content in the Self alone,
has nothing to do.”
The End of Seeking
The desire for outer achievement is not wrong—but it is limited. All worldly desire is temporary. What we truly long for is not conditional happiness but unconditional joy. That is why, as Yogananda said, “Everyone is looking for something else.”
We may chase after relationships, achievements, or possessions, believing they will make us happy. But the wise know: what we truly seek is the Eternal. We are seeking God, the Self, Reality. When we find that, we are at peace.
When we know the Self, we become free from inner compulsion. We are no longer caught in the wheel of karma, repeating action after action trying to fulfill ourselves. The Gita teaches that when we are content in the Self alone, we have nothing to do—not because we withdraw from life, but because we are no longer driven by the illusion that something outside of us will complete us.
As Armstrong and Rishi translate Bhagavad Gita verse 3.17:
“Their internal experience of satisfaction
does not depend upon anyone or anything external.
They are not compelled to any action
as the source of their pleasure.”
Action Without Compulsion
This brings us back to the question Arjuna asks at the start of the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter Three: If Self-knowledge is supreme, why act at all?
The Lord Krishna answers: the one who knows the Self is not compelled to act—but still acts. The key is freedom. Freedom from ego, freedom from fear, freedom from desire. A realized being does not act for personal gain. Their actions arise from wisdom.
The liberated soul acts not out of compulsion but from clarity. Their actions are spontaneous, appropriate, and unburdened by attachment. They are instruments of the Divine.
This insight is echoed in verse 3.18, as translated by Armstrong and Rishi:
“One who is not influenced by karma phala
(attachment to the fruit of actions),
who does not depend on outer results,
and whose happiness is derived from within,
is truly free.”
This is the essence of karma yoga—action without attachment. Not passive withdrawal, but liberated engagement.
Roy Eugene Davis affirms this beautifully in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita:
“For the Self-realized devotee, there are no compulsory actions to perform because all necessary actions spontaneously occur—either as one is intuitively impelled to act or as life processes flow in the field of nature to support the devotee in response to wisdom-chosen desire or to provide primary needs.”
Life becomes a cooperative dance with the Infinite.
Living in Cooperation with the Infinite
In verse 3.19, we are given direct instruction:
“Therefore, always engage in the action that is appropriate to the situation with no attachment to the outcome. The person who performs their actions in this way eventually attains the supreme.”
This verse offers three guiding questions for discernment, for right action:
1. Is what I am about to do appropriate to the situation?
2. Am I acting with no attachment to the result?
3. Is this action entirely constructive?
These questions are so practical. They help us navigate relationships, responsibilities, and opportunities with spiritual clarity.
Dharma—right action—is not rigid rule-following. It is attunement. We listen within. We notice. We discern what is needed and we respond. When we act from this place, our actions become Yajna—a sacred offering. We act not to get something, but to give. We give from the Source to the Source.
Roy Eugene Davis again points to this reality:
“Established in the comprehensive awareness of the fullness of life,
the devotee is nurtured by the inexhaustible source of everything.
All actions should be chosen for their entirely constructive outcomes.
This is the righteous way to live.”
The Role of Daily Practice
This inner clarity is not accidental—it is cultivated through practice. That is the goal. That is the real fruit of Kriya Yoga practice—not withdrawal from the world, but freedom in the world. Living from the soul. No longer reacting, no longer driven by restlessness, but awake, at peace, and responsive.
We are reminded here of the importance of daily superconscious meditation—not only to experience peace—but to access the clarity and grace that come from abiding in the Self.
When we meditate daily, especially at the beginning and end of the day, we train the mind to rest in the Self. We access the joy and clarity of the soul. Then we carry that clarity into action.
Study is also essential. When we study scripture and reflect on the teachings, we deepen our understanding. We see the patterns of mind more clearly. We gain insight into the gunas, specifically rajas and tamas—those qualities of nature that pull us toward restlessness or inertia—and we begin to live by sattva guna, the quality of clarity and harmony.
And we serve. Through selfless service, the heart is purified. We learn to offer without expectation. We learn to let go. We become inwardly free.
Practice, study, and selfless service. This is the path of Kriya Yoga. These three together support us in abiding in the Self. We meditate, we study, and we commit to dharmic living. We learn to cooperate with the Infinite. We offer all that we do as yajna—not as burden or obligation, but as sacred participation in divine life.
Living from the Self
To live from the Self is not to renounce the world—but to be free in the world. We are no longer thrown about by every impulse or reaction. We are steady. We are responsive, not reactive. We see clearly. We move from love, not from lack.
This is not a far-off goal. It begins now—with our next breath, our next thought, our next choice. We begin again, each day, to live by remembrance. To meditate. To listen within. To speak kindly. To act generously.
Let your life become an offering.
Give from the Source to the Source.
Live in joy. Receive. Give back.
Yajna.
This is the way of freedom.
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
Bhagavad Gita, pt. 25: Soulful Living - The Art of Spontaneous Right Action
Chapter 3, v. 17-19
Explore the guiding principles that lead to soul-inspired actions, fostering harmony and purpose in everyday life. Through meditation, study, and a dedication to righteous living, discover how to tap into the boundless grace of the universe and find your unique path to enlightenment. Delve into ancient wisdom, made relevant for today, that promises a life of authenticity and serendipity.
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