3.25
सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत | कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् ||२५||
saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṁso yathā kurvanti bhārata kuryād vidvāṁs tathāsaktaśh chikīrṣhur loka-saṁgraham
Translation
As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path.
Interpretation
The form of the action is the same — the wise person acts just like the unwise person acts. The difference is internal: one acts with attachment to results, the other acts without. Externally, the sage and the ordinary person look similar. The transformation is invisible — in the quality of consciousness that animates the action.