ज्ञानाग्नि

Jñānāgni means the fire of knowledge. In Gita 4.19 the person whose actions have been burned in the fire of knowledge, and whose undertakings are free of desire and resolve, is called wise. In 4.37 the same point is made with an image: as a blazing fire turns fuel to ashes, so the fire of knowledge turns all action to ashes.

“Burning” here does not mean that action stops happening. What burns is action’s power to bind. Indian tradition often explains this with the image of a roasted seed. The image does not occur in these verses in so many words, but it clarifies the sense: a raw seed sprouts when sown, while a roasted seed still looks like a seed but has lost the power to grow.

Common misreading: supposing that once knowledge dawns, one can no longer act.

Better sense: action continues, but no new knot forms inside the doer.

To read further, see the topic Karma and Akarma.