18-22

यत् तु कृत्स्नवत् एकस्मिन् कार्ये सक्तम् अहेतुकम् ।
अतत्वार्थवत् अल्पम् च तत् तामसम् उदाहृतम् ॥  २२ ॥

yat tu kRtsnavat ekasmin kArye saktam ahetukam |
atatvArthavat alpam ca tat tAmasam udAhRtam ||  22 ||

यत् तु [yat tu] There is yet another category सक्तम् [saktam] that gets preoccupied एकस्मिन् कार्ये [ekasmin kArye] in some isolated work कृत्स्नवत् [kRtsnavat] as though it was everything, अहेतुकम् [ahetukam] without any basis. अतत्वार्थवत् [atatvArthavat] It is not based on any concept, अल्पम् [alpam] having very little value. तत् [tat] That उदाहृतम् [udAhRtam] is said to be तामसम् [tAmasam] in the quality of tamas .

Yet another type of awareness leads to preoccupation in some isolated work, believing in various processes and rituals to deliver results that have very poor value - thinking that it will yield whatever is required.

Since the result is insignificant, there is no basis for this attachment. It’s not based on any concept - as in the previous case, it doesn’t recognize the concept of the Self being distinct from the body. Instead, it’s based on myths.

Such knowledge yields little value, based on inconsistent myths and superstition. It is in the quality of tamas.

In this way, three forms of knowledge can manifest in a doer – as ‘awareness’ at the time of initiating an activity. They were described according to the three qualities .

Next, The Lord describes the distinction in the qualities of activity.