Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 3

त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः | यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ||

tyājyaṁ doṣa-vad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam iti cāpare

Some wise men say that all actions should be renounced as defective. Others say that actions of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should not be renounced.

Krishna presents two views that exist in the world about renunciation. 'Eke manīṣiṇaḥ'—some wise people say 'tyājyaṁ doṣa-vat'—all actions should be renounced as defective. They see action itself as the problem, believing that renunciation means abandoning all karma. But 'apare'—others say 'yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam'—actions of sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna), and austerity (tapaḥ) should not be renounced. They recognize that some actions are beneficial and shouldn't be abandoned. This verse sets up Krishna's clarification: the question isn't whether to renounce all action or some action—it's understanding which actions are truly renounceable. The distinction matters because some actions (like yajña, dāna, tapaḥ) are part of dharma and shouldn't be abandoned, while selfish actions (kāmyānāṁ) should be renounced. This leads to Krishna's teaching about what should actually be renounced.