18.12 Threefold, or none Krishna speaks

अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम्
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित्

aniṣhṭam iṣhṭaṁ miśhraṁ cha tri-vidhaṁ karmaṇaḥ phalam
bhavaty atyāgināṁ pretya na tu sannyāsināṁ kvachit

For those who do not let go, the fruit of action is threefold — unwelcome, welcome and mixed. For those who renounce, there is none.

Explanation

Threefold, or none at all.

For those who do not let go the fruit is unwelcome, welcome, or mixed. For those who renounce there is none.

The three-way split is not a hierarchy of outcomes; it is the whole set. What is on offer is not a better fruit but exemption from the category.