Endowed with discernment, one abandons here both good and bad deeds. Therefore, devote yourself to yoga. Yoga is skill in action.

Another famous definition: yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam — “yoga is skill in action.” Kauśala implies dexterity, mastery, the art of doing things well.

The verse is subtle: it doesn’t say that yoga produces skill, but that it is skill. The equanimity described before is not passivity; it allows more precise action, free from the noise of the ego.

Buddhi-yukta (endowed with discernment) indicates that this skill arises from a clear intellect, not from blind instinct. Discernment allows one to “abandon” (jahāti) both good and bad — to transcend the very duality of merit and demerit.

In physical practice, kauśala manifests as economy of movement, precise alignment, just the right effort — no more, no less than necessary.

The expert yogī makes the difficult look easy, not through innate talent but through the clarity that arises when the ego doesn’t interfere.