Because there is something to be understood even about action enjoined by scripture; and there is something to be understood about wrong action, the forbidden; and likewise about inaction, the state of sitting silent. The phrase 'something to be understood' is to be supplied in all three cases. Because the way of action, action being mentioned to stand for action and the rest, the way, the true nature, of action, inaction and wrong action, is deep, hard to fathom, hard to know. What then is the truth of action and the rest, which it was promised would be told as the thing to be understood? He says.

Because there is something to be understood about the nature of action, which is the means to liberation; and there is something to be understood about 'cross-action' (vikarma), action that has taken on variety in the form of the obligatory, the occasional, and the desire-prompted, and in the form of the gaining of the substances that are its means and so on; and there is something to be understood about inaction, namely knowledge. Deep, hard to know fully, is the course of the seeker of liberation's action. And what is to be understood about cross-action, namely that in action such as the obligatory, the occasional, the desire-prompted, and the gaining of substances, the variety made by the difference of fruit is to be given up and the dwelling-on of the single scriptural meaning, with liberation as the single fruit, is to be kept up, was already told in 'this resolute understanding is one' and the rest, and so is not unfolded here. The Lord states what is to be understood about action and inaction.

Not merely will you be released by knowing that, but only by knowing it; with this intent Krishna says 'of action'. So it is said, 'without knowing the action, non-action and wrong action of the Lord, who, O sage, comes to the sight of Him, and how, without that, could there be release?'. 'Non-action' is the not-doing of action; 'wrong action' (vikarma) is action other than action and non-action, the prohibited action, since it binds. Hence action and the rest are to be understood by discernment. And it is not by a curse and the like that 'even the wise are deluded here' (4.16); rather, this is hard to know, Krishna says, with 'deep is the way of action'.