Bhagavad Gita 2.47 — You Have a Right to Action Alone, Never to Its Fruits
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २.४७॥
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You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are never entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to inaction.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| karmaṇi | in action, in prescribed duty |
| eva | only |
| adhikāraḥ | right, entitlement |
| te | your |
| mā | never |
| phaleṣhu | in the fruits, in the results |
| kadāchana | at any time |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| mā | never |
| karmaphalahetuḥ | the cause of the fruits of action |
| bhūḥ | be, consider yourself |
| mā | never |
| te | your |
| saṅgaḥ | attachment |
| astu | let there be |
| akarmaṇi | in inaction |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| karmaṇi | in action, in prescribed duty | mā | never |
| eva | only | karmaphalahetuḥ | the cause of the fruits of action |
| adhikāraḥ | right, entitlement | bhūḥ | be, consider yourself |
| te | your | mā | never |
| mā | never | te | your |
| phaleṣhu | in the fruits, in the results | saṅgaḥ | attachment |
| kadāchana | at any time | astu | let there be |
| akarmaṇi | in inaction | ||
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
This is perhaps the most celebrated verse of the Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krishna lays down the essence of Karma Yoga in four short instructions: you have a right to action alone, never to its fruits; do not let the fruit of action be your motive; and do not become attached to inaction. This single verse has guided countless seekers in how to work, live, and serve.
Essence
Four instructions in one verse
Lord Krishna says karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. The verse unfolds as four connected teachings, each correcting a common mistake in our relation to action.
Karmaṇy evādhikāras te (your right is to action alone): The word adhikāra means entitlement or jurisdiction. Arjuna's field of authority is his action, his effort, and the quality of attention and integrity he brings to it. This is the part of life where we have real influence.
Mā phaleṣu kadācana (never to the fruits): We do not have command over the results. Outcomes depend on many factors, including other people, circumstances, timing, and forces beyond our control. Efforts can be sincere and results still disappoint. Claiming ownership of results leads to anxiety and, when they fail, to despair.
Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ (do not become the cause of the fruits of action): This instruction is subtle. It says that we should not make the anticipated result our motivation for acting. A person who works only for reward will become dependent on it and will be tempted to take wrong shortcuts when the reward seems at risk. Let duty and the intrinsic worth of the work be the reason for acting.
Mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi (let there be no attachment to inaction): The final instruction guards against misunderstanding. Having heard that we should not be attached to results, a person might conclude that it is better not to act at all. Krishna rules this out firmly. The solution to anxiety about outcomes is not withdrawal but wiser action.
Common misunderstandings
This verse does not say that results do not matter. A good farmer, doctor, or teacher cares greatly about outcomes and plans carefully to bring them about. The point concerns the inner relationship with outcomes: we do our best, take care in planning, and then accept what comes without being inwardly destroyed or inflated by it.
Nor does it advocate carelessness. Because we are asked to give our full attention to the action itself, the standard of the work usually rises, since the mind is not scattered by worry about results.
Message for Everyday Life (Working Without Anxiety)
Students worry about marks, professionals about promotions, and artists about reception. Such worry drains the energy that could go into the work.
Give your full attention to the present task: The task is within your control, whereas the outcome is shared with many other factors.
Do not use detachment as an excuse for laziness: The teaching asks for wholehearted effort and equanimity together.
Measure success by the quality of your effort: Whether or not the world rewards it, work done well and honestly is its own fulfilment.
Four instructions in one verse
Lord Krishna says karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. The verse unfolds as four connected teachings, each correcting a common mistake in our relation to action.
Karmaṇy evādhikāras te (your right is to action alone): The word adhikāra means entitlement or jurisdiction. Arjuna's field of authority is his action, his effort, and the quality of attention and integrity he brings to it. This is the part of life where we have real influence.
Mā phaleṣu kadācana (never to the fruits): We do not have command over the results. Outcomes depend on many factors, including other people, circumstances, timing, and forces beyond our control. Efforts can be sincere and results still disappoint. Claiming ownership of results leads to anxiety and, when they fail, to despair.
Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ (do not become the cause of the fruits of action): This instruction is subtle. It says that we should not make the anticipated result our motivation for acting. A person who works only for reward will become dependent on it and will be tempted to take wrong shortcuts when the reward seems at risk. Let duty and the intrinsic worth of the work be the reason for acting.
Mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi (let there be no attachment to inaction): The final instruction guards against misunderstanding. Having heard that we should not be attached to results, a person might conclude that it is better not to act at all. Krishna rules this out firmly. The solution to anxiety about outcomes is not withdrawal but wiser action.
Common misunderstandings
This verse does not say that results do not matter. A good farmer, doctor, or teacher cares greatly about outcomes and plans carefully to bring them about. The point concerns the inner relationship with outcomes: we do our best, take care in planning, and then accept what comes without being inwardly destroyed or inflated by it.
Nor does it advocate carelessness. Because we are asked to give our full attention to the action itself, the standard of the work usually rises, since the mind is not scattered by worry about results.
Message for Everyday Life (Working Without Anxiety)
Students worry about marks, professionals about promotions, and artists about reception. Such worry drains the energy that could go into the work.
Give your full attention to the present task: The task is within your control, whereas the outcome is shared with many other factors.
Do not use detachment as an excuse for laziness: The teaching asks for wholehearted effort and equanimity together.
Measure success by the quality of your effort: Whether or not the world rewards it, work done well and honestly is its own fulfilment.
Next Topic
Krishna has given the foundation of Karma Yoga: act, but without clinging to the fruit and without falling into inaction. The obvious question is how to actually do this in practice. In the next verse He gives the method, telling Arjuna to perform actions established in yoga, having given up attachment and remaining the same in success and failure.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
Own your effort, not the outcome.
Results arrive on their own schedule.
Worry about results spoils the work.
Do your part fully.
Neither greed for fruit nor laziness of action.
Be present in the doing.
Work becomes lighter when it's not a bargain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'karmaṇy evādhikāras te' (you have a right to action alone) mean?
Does 'mā phaleṣhu kadāchana' (never in the fruits) mean we should not care about results?
What does 'mā karmaphalahetur bhūḥ' (do not be the cause of the fruits of action) mean?
What does 'mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi' (let there not be attachment to inaction) mean?
Why is this verse so well known?
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