Chapter III · Śloka 9

यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः |
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ||

yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṃ karma-bandhanaḥ |
tad-arthaṃ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara ||

This world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform action for that purpose alone, free from attachment.

Yajña — sacrifice, offering, action dedicated to something beyond the ego — is the key that unlocks the otherwise binding chain of karma. When action is an offering rather than a transaction, it does not accumulate as bondage.