नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम्।अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते।।18.23।।
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुनः।क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम्।।18.24।।
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम्।मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते।।18.25।।
The daily obligatory action which is performed without attachment and without likes or dislikes, by one who does not hanker for rewards, is said to be born of sattva.
But that action is said to be born of rajas which is done by one desirous of results or by one who is egotistical, and which is highly strenuous.
That action is said to be born of tamas which is undertaken out of delusion, without consideration of its consequences, loss, harm, and ability.
Osho’s Commentary
Now, the three kinds of action. Sattvic action is your prescribed duty, performed without attachment, without likes or dislikes, and without any desire for the fruit. It is a pure, silent offering. Rajasic action is performed with great effort, driven by desire and ego. It is a feverish activity, a struggle to achieve something, to prove something. And tamasic action is undertaken out of delusion, without any thought of the consequences, of the harm it may cause to others or to oneself. It is a blind, unconscious, destructive act. Observe your own actions. Do they flow from a state of quiet centeredness? From a fever of desire? Or from a dark, unconscious stupor? Your actions are the outer expression of your inner world.