The karma of the yogī is neither white nor black; for others it is of three types.

Patañjali presents a classification of karma. For ordinary people, actions produce three types of fruits:

Śukla (white): virtuous karma generating pleasant results. Kṛṣṇa (black): non-virtuous karma producing suffering. Śukla-kṛṣṇa (mixed): most actions that blend both.

The yogī established in samādhi transcends this triple classification. Their karma is aśukla-akṛṣṇa: neither white nor black. They act without generating new karmic seeds.

This does not mean inaction, but action without attachment to fruits, without the sense of being the doer. When the ego claiming authorship disappears, action flows without leaving residue.

It is the state described in the Bhagavad Gītā as naiṣkarmya: action in inaction. The body acts, but puruṣa remains untouched.

This is freedom from karma—not its avoidance but its transcendence.