No one can live even for one second without action. Prakriti, nature, drives everyone to action, even against their will. Life cannot be lived without action. He is a hypocrite who thinks about the sense objects but remains inactive physically. It is said in the Bhagavad Gita (3:6):
Karmendriyaani samyamya ya aaste manasaa smaran;
Indriyaarthaanvimoodhaatmaa mithyaachaarah sa uchyate.
He of deluded understanding, who, restraining the organs of action,
sits thinking of the sense objects in the mind, is called a hypocrite.
The Bhagavad Gita stresses the performance of duty without reluctance. Action does not bind the soul, action which is not affected by any external modification, or for the self is eternal. In order to attain success in yoga, practice is necessary. By contemplating in a closed room for years, one may not advance more than a few steps, because perfection or freedom from the effects of karma cannot be reached by merely renouncing action.
A sadhaka who confines himself to a solitary cell and takes to repeating vedantic formulae in order to experience the higher self or the unreality of the world runs the risk of becoming indolent, eccentric and intolerant instead. Many aspirants become tamasic by shirking work and taking exclusively to japa and meditation for which they are not ready. A long stay in caves makes them tamasic and unfit for energetic, active service of humanity. In the Yoga Vasishtha (3:88:11) it is said:
Yathaapraaptam hi kartavyamasaktena sadaa sataa;
Mukurenaakalankena pratibimbakriyaa yathaa.
Do your duty as it may present itself to you,
rather than remaining inactive doing nothing.
The dull person is like a dirty mirror, which does not reflect the image, and comes to no use at all.
A recluse feels afraid when he sees a big crowd or a group of ladies. A little sound throws him off balance. The yogi who keeps up meditation while performing actions is a powerful yogi indeed. He has a different mind altogether. He has no vikshepa, or tossing of the mind, while a recluse is easily disturbed by a little sound or the bustle of the city. A recluse in the forest has to test his real inner strength by occasional visits to the plains and service of humanity. It is wrong to suppose that the divine cannot be attained while living an active life and performing one’s duties.