Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 18

tyaajyam doshavadityeke karma praahurmaneeshinaha |
yajnyadaanatapahakarma na tyaajyamiti chaapare || 3 ||
 
Actions, being fault filled, should be given up, many contemplative people say this. Others say that actions of sacrifice, charity and penance should not be given up.
 
tyaajyam : give up
doshavat : fault filled
iti : in this manner
eke : many
karma : actions
praahuhu : say
maneeshinaha : contemplative people
yajnyadaanatapahakarma : actions of sacrifice, charity and penance
na : not
tyaajyam : give up
iti : in this manner
cha : and
apare : others
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna shared two prevailing views on the topic of karma yoga. The first view is that one should give up all kaamya karmas, all desire prompted actions. Any action that is undertaken for a personal reward is a desire prompted action. The second view is that one should give up the rewards of all types of actions, including kaamya karmas and nitya karmas or duties. Giving up does not mean physically giving up the reward. It means giving up the attachment to the reward in our mind.
 
Before sharing his definition of karma yoga, Shri Krishna describes two other viewpoints on karma yoga. He says that maneeshees, those who have a contemplative bent of mind, advise that it is futile to undertake any action, because all actions are filled with some fault or the other. They are of the opinion that any action, no matter how small, eventually grows in size, binds us and makes us dance to its tune. Such people prefer to lead a life of monkhood and spend their time immersed in thinking and contemplation.
 
The fourth viewpoint on karmayoga advocates similar but less radical approach than the prior viewpoint. It narrows the scope of actions to just three: sacrifice, charity and penance. In other words, you have to fulfill your obligations towards Ishvara, your fellow human beings, and to yourself. So then, what actions are left out here? This viewpoint does not sanction the performance of actions with regards to our profession, our career and so on. It assumes that one can live without earning a livelihood.