Shloka 3
२ ।। त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिण: । यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे,कई एक विद्दान् ऐसा कहते हैं कि कर्ममात्र दोषयुक्त हैं, इसलिये त्यागनेके योग्य हैं* और दूसरे विद्वान् यह कहते हैं कि यज्ञ, दान और तपरूप कर्म त्यागनेयोग्य नहीं हैं:
tyājyaṁ doṣavad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ | yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyam iti cāpare ||
Arjuna said: “Some thoughtful authorities declare that action should be abandoned because it is tainted with fault; yet others maintain that acts of sacrifice, giving, and austerity are not to be renounced.” In ethical terms, the verse frames a live debate: whether all action is inherently blemished and thus fit for renunciation, or whether certain purifying duties remain obligatory even for one seeking inner freedom.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents two competing ethical positions: (1) all action is flawed and therefore should be renounced; (2) certain elevating duties—sacrifice, charity, and austerity—should not be renounced. It sets up the need to distinguish between actions that bind and actions that purify.
Arjuna voices a doctrinal confusion by reporting what different sages teach about renunciation. He is seeking clarity on whether one should abandon action altogether or continue specific religious and moral duties even while pursuing liberation.