18-18

ज्ञानम् ज्ञेयम् परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा कर्म चोदना ।
करणम् कर्म कर्तेति त्रिविधः कर्म संग्रहः ॥ १८ ॥

jJAnam jJeyam parijJAtA trividhA karma codanA |
karaNam karma karteti trividhaH karma saMgrahaH || 18 ||

ज्ञानम् [jJAnam] Knowledge, ज्ञेयम् [jJeyam] that which has to be perceived परिज्ञाता [parijJAtA] and the one who recognizes त्रिविधा [trividhA] are the three कर्म चोदन [karma codana] sources of initiative for any action. करणम् [karaNam] The instruments, कर्म [karma] the activity itself कर्ता [kartA] and the one who performs the activity इति त्र्विधः [iti trvidhaH] are the three types of कर्म संग्रहः [karma saMgrahaH] things that put the action together.

This Shloka describes the three sources of action: ‘knowledge’ is to be aware of the work that needs to be done. ‘That which has to be perceived’ is the goal of the action – what we experience from the action. ‘The one who recognizes’ is the one who perceives.

In any action, these three sources come together - The performance of every action is associated with the knowledge required to do it, the perception to be gained from it and the one who perceives.

In this world, the activities and the resulting perceptions happen in the trio of the means, the activity and the doer: The ‘means of an activity’ are the instruments required for the activity. The activity is the sequence of what is done. The doer is the one who accomplishes the action.