Krishna shifts from knowledge to categorizing the action itself (karma). An action is in the mode of goodness (sāttvikam) when it meets specific criteria: it is regulated or prescribed by duty (niyatam), performed completely without psychological attachment (saṅga-rahitam), executed without being driven by intense love/attraction or hatred/repulsion (arāga-dveṣataḥ), and performed by someone who has no desire to hoard the end results (aphala-prepsunā).