“ कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥“In simple terms, it means “You have the right to perform your duties (actions), but not to the fruits of your actions.”
Bhagavad Gita, commonly known as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that forms part of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It is considered one of the most profound spiritual and philosophical texts in the world.
The Bhagavad Gita presents a profound dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the epic war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas was about to begin. Krishna explains to him the essence of performing duties without waiting for the results.
At the heart of this sacred scripture lies the moment when Arjuna, the valorous warrior of the Pandavas, is gripped by a moral crisis and refuses to fight. In response, Lord Krishna imparts timeless wisdom to guide him — and all of humanity — through the dilemmas of duty, righteousness, and life itself.
As the battle of Kurukshetra was about to commence, Arjuna looked across the field and observed that on the opposite side stood his beloved relatives, revered elders, dear friends, and beloved teachers.
Overwhelmed with grief and compassion, he was overcome with self-doubt, confusion, and despair. He questioned:
“Madhav (another name of Lord Krishna), how can I fight against my kin? What is the purpose of winning a kingdom by shedding the blood of my relatives?”
Torn between his duty as a warrior (Kshatriya Dharma) and his emotional attachment, Arjuna put down his bow and arrow, declaring that he would rather be killed unarmed than engage in a war that would bring destruction to his family.
At this crucial moment, Lord Krishna, who was Arjuna’s charioteer, guide, and divine friend, took control of the situation. Realizing that Arjuna’s inner turmoil was preventing him from fulfilling his duty (Dharma), Krishna began to counsel him with divine wisdom, which later came to be known as the Bhagavad Gita.
The Core Message of the Gita
Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna the essence of life, duty, and spirituality. He emphasized the importance of performing one’s duty selflessly without being attached to the results. Krishna reminded Arjuna that.
- “You have control only over your actions, but not over the results.”
- “Perform your duty without any desire for the fruits of your work.”
- “If you die in battle, you will attain heaven. If you win, you will enjoy the kingdom. Hence, do not fear the outcome; just perform your duty.”
Lord Krishna also revealed his universal form (Vishwaroop Darshan) to Arjuna, showcasing that the cycle of life and death is eternal, and the soul (Atman) never dies — it merely changes bodies. He emphasized that it was Arjuna’s Kshatriya Dharma (warrior’s duty) to fight for righteousness (Dharma) and that retreating from the battlefield would be an act of cowardice and betrayal of his Dharma.
Arjuna, however, still felt uneasy and again expressed his unwillingness to fight, saying,
“Madhav, those standing before me are my uncles, cousins, and respected teachers. How can I raise my weapon against them? What will I gain by killing my family for the sake of a kingdom?”
Hearing this, Lord Krishna stepped down from his charioteer seat and firmly reminded Arjuna that his hesitation stemmed from attachment and delusion. Krishna explained that one must act without attachment to the result — performing their duty solely for the sake of righteousness (Dharma).
Lord Krishna’s teachings gradually dissolve Arjuna’s confusion, despair, and weakness. Arjuna realizes that life is temporary, but the soul is eternal. Performing one’s duty (Karma) without any desire for personal gain is the highest virtue.
In the end, Arjuna regains his composure, picks up his bow and arrow, and resolves to fight the war for the cause of righteousness (Dharma).
Among all the teachings, I feel the one that He gives to Arjun, the one given below, is the most famous verse in the Mahabharat, Chapter II, verse 47. Krishna goes on to say :
“ कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥“
(“Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana.)
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani “)
Let’s see what this means:
Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou Kada chana — You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions.
Lord Krishna explains to him about his duties. The above verse, which is among the most famous verses in Mahabharat, is one of those explanations.
Here Krishna says: “Kaunteya (Arjun) no matter what the result of the war is, you should not be worried about it. You must fight, and you must fight. It is not important whether you win or lose.
Even if you die during the war, you will attain heaven because you would have correctly performed your duty.”
Now, coming to the second phrase of the above verse:
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani — Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, and therefore you won’t be attached to not doing your duty.
Krishna advises, “Arjun, you should never let the fruit be the purpose of your actions.”
Here, the action is his fight, and the fruit is whether he wins or loses. He is not supposed to worry about victory or defeat. Whether one wins or loses, one must be neutral about it.
In simple terms, it means to keep performing your duties without being attached to the result of your actions. You should not worry about either getting something or getting nothing. You should have neutral behavior.
Well, let us relate that in our context as a human being: As an example, A student has to study, he passes or fails, that’s not in his control. The student does not study just for the sake of passing his exams. When he studies, he learns.
Whether he passes or fails, he should not be too happy or too sad about it. If ever a student studies to pass his exams, he has learned nothing even if he has passed.
But if he studies because he considers learning and studying as his duty, he won’t even need to be worried about whether he will pass or fail.
And such students, as we have always seen, are most likely to pass their exams unless they cannot pass their exams for some reason. Even so, he should not be sad about it. Why? Because the most important is at least he performed his duty well.
Note: In Bhagavad Gita, As It Is, By Swami Prabhupada, the part Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhur means never to consider ourselves to be the cause of the result of our activities.
This is right, too, because when we consider ourselves to be the cause of the result of our actions, it will tempt us to be attached to that result. So when we do something, we are not supposed to take credit for the fruit of our actions.
We can also relate this preaching to the conditions of the worst phase of “ KAAL” we passed through, i.e., the Corona pandemic.
Our Corona Warriors, salute to them, were performing their duties 24x7x365 and helped the patients to recover from the dreaded and fatal disease. They worked long hours without caring for their own lives, as they were also at risk of contracting the fatal virus.
They did their duty without knowing the results of their duty — the patient may or may not survive, but they continued the duty without thinking about the fruit of their actions.
So when we do something, we are not supposed to take credit for the fruit of our actions. We consider that it is our duty, so we did it.
Today, how many of us believe in this principle? What does this verse mean to us today?
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Grt writing
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