त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः | यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ||
tyājyaṁ doṣavad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam iti cāpare
Translation
Some learned men say that action should be abandoned as an evil; and others say that acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be abandoned.
Interpretation
Two schools of thought are presented: one group (often associated with Samkhya philosophy) holds that action itself is the problem — all karma creates bondage, so cease all karma. Another group holds that sacred actions — yajna, dana, tapas — should never be abandoned because they are inherently purifying. Krishna will navigate between these positions with the Gita's characteristic synthesis: not all actions should be abandoned, but the fruit of all actions should be. The Gita's middle path between extreme asceticism and undisciplined engagement.