“कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||”
“Karmanye vādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stvakarmaṇi”
Translation: “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties but are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”
This is a verse from the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture. The verse captures Lord Krishna’s guidance to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Arjuna, a warrior prince, is grappling with the moral dilemma of participating in a war against his relatives, teachers, and friends. Faced with this internal conflict, Arjuna is on the verge of abandoning his responsibilities as a warrior.
In response, Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to perform his prescribed duties as a warrior without attachment to the outcomes. The guidance emphasizes the concept of Nishkama Karma, or selfless detached action, encouraging Arjuna to act with dedication and integrity, surrendering the fruits of his actions to a higher purpose.
The shloka “Karmanye Vadhikaraste” plays a pivotal role in steering Arjuna toward a path of righteous action and spiritual understanding in the middle of a challenging battlefield scenario.
In our present-day context, the verse serves as a wonderful guiding principle for everyone. It advises us to adopt the idea of detached action while dealing with our daily challenges. The crux of the matter is to give our best efforts to every task or obstacle without getting too fixated to the outcome.
Be attached to the work, not the outcome- should be the motto !!