Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Eighteen: "One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities."
Purport: "A person acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is naturally free from the resultant action of work. His activities are all performed for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he does not enjoy or suffer any of the effects of the world."
Prabhupāda: Reaction means when you enjoy or suffer. That is called reaction. And inaction means when there is no result on your account.
Just like you are working on account of the state. The state orders you to fight, so you are fighting, you are killing so many men. There is no reaction. But without state's order if you kill one man, immediately becomes a murderer. There is reaction immediately. This is very simple to understand.
Similarly, if you act on the supreme order there is no reaction, and if you act on your own account there will be reaction. Own account means whatever you do, either you suffer or you enjoy. But if you want to be inactive, neither suffering nor enjoying—in the neutral state—that is required. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Go on.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Akarma means without reaction to work. The impersonalist ceases fruitive activities out of fear, so that the resultant action may not be a stumbling block on the path of self-realization, whereas the personalist knows rightly his position as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore he engages himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
"Because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa, he enjoys only transcendental happiness in the discharge of his service. Those who are engaged in this process or without desire for personal sense gratification, the sense of eternal servitorship to Kṛṣṇa makes one immune to all reactionary elements of work."
Prabhupāda: That's all. Now any question? (devotees offer obeisances) Yes?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can you explain, Prabhupāda, once again what action in inaction is and inaction in action is?
Prabhupāda: Action . . . just like you are active. You are working, you all Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. You are also working—you are not sitting idly—but it is inaction. Inaction in this sense, that it is not producing any reaction. It has no reaction. But others, those who are not acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are also busy, but they are producing their reaction.
So things which are not producing reaction, that is inaction. One who can see that "I am acting in this way, there is no reaction," that is inaction. And one who sees that "I am doing this, but there is reaction," that is action. So it requires little intelligence to see how it is action or inaction. Therefore it is said that one who can see action in inaction and inaction in action, he is intelligent. Yes.