Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 50
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte | tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ||
One who is united with wisdom renounces both good and evil deeds in this life. Therefore, devote yourself to Yoga. Yoga is skill in action.
Krishna delivers the Gita's most famous definition: 'yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam'—Yoga is skill in action. The person 'buddhi-yukta' (established in wisdom) transcends the binary that enslaves most people: good deeds deserve reward, bad deeds deserve punishment. This constant mental accounting creates anxiety and keeps you chained to outcomes. Instead, act with 'kauśalam' (skill)—intelligence, ethics, excellence—not to accumulate merit or avoid sin, but because that's the wise way to act. You're free from 'what will this get me?' True skill isn't just competence; it's acting with wisdom and inner freedom, unshaken by praise or blame.