Chapter 18 - Verse 10

Evil action: the Kamya-karma, the interested action, which becomes the cause of samsara by producing a body. He does not hate evil action, thinking “of what avail is it?” Good one: nitya-karma, obligatory action. He cherishes no attachment for it by way of thinking that it leads to moksha by purifying the heart and thereby conducing to knowledge and to devotion in knowledge. —Of whom is this said? —Of him who has abandoned attachment and desire, and who, having abandoned attachment to action and desire for its fruit, performs obligatory works (nitya-karma) —When does he hate no evil action? When is he not attached to a good one? —When he is permeated with Sattva, which causes a discriminative knowledge of the Self and the not-Self. As he is permeated with Sattva, he becomes gifted with wisdom, with knowledge of Self. As he becomes possessed of wisdom, his doubt caused by avidya is cut asunder by the conviction that to abide in the true nature of the Self is alone the means of attaining the Highest Bliss, and that there is no other means.

That is to say, when a man who is qualified (for Karma-Yoga) practises Karma-Yoga in the manner described above and thereby becomes gradually refined in the self (antah-karana), then he knows himself to be that Self; who, as devoid of birth or any other change of condition, is immutable; he renounces all action in thought; he remains without acting or causing others to act; he attains devotion in wisdom, i.e., he attains freedom from action. Thus, the purpose of the Karma-Yoga described above has been taught in this verse.

Renunciation of Fruits is alone possible for the Ignorant.

For the unenlightened man, on the other hand, who wears a body by way of identifying himself with it, who not yet disabused of the notion that the Self is the agent of action, firmly believes that he is himself the agent,—for him who is thus qualified for Karma-Yoga, abandonment of all works is impossible, so that his duty lies only in performing prescribed works by abandoning their fruits,—not in abandoning those works. To impress this point, the Lord proceeds thus: