This summary is about two places in the Gita: the verses of the third chapter (Gita 3.30–32) and the verses of the fifth chapter (Gita 5.10–12).

On The Path of Karma Yoga this topic comes after Action Without Claiming the Fruit. There the teaching was that the right is to the work and not to its fruit. Here the same teaching becomes an inner practice. The next stop is Equanimity.

The question here is one we all know. We say: I have done my work, whatever happens will happen. But the mind does not agree, and runs ahead of the result all night. What can be done about the worry that comes after the work is finished?

The answer in one sentence

Do the work with your whole effort, and place in the Lord's hands the hope, the sense of "mine" and the restlessness that come with it (Gita 3.30). Work done like this leaves no stain on the person, like water on a lotus leaf (Gita 5.10), and the mind finds a peace that lasts (Gita 5.12). The cure is not to give up the work.

It helps to see what offering is not. It is not carelessness, because the whole person is in the work (Gita 5.11). It is not a bargain for success. And it is not a reason to stop asking questions. The Gita welcomes honest asking. It sets aside only the fault-finding that refuses even to try (Gita 3.31–32).

The setting

Just before this, the Lord says that all actions are done by the qualities of nature, and that a mind confused by ego thinks, "I am the doer" (Gita 3.27–29). A separate piece, Who Is the Doer?, takes that up. When the stamp of "mine" on the action is itself mistaken, the next step follows by itself: hand the action over (Gita 3.30).

The fifth chapter begins with Arjuna's question whether giving up action or the yoga of action is better. A separate piece, Renunciation or Karma Yoga?, takes that up. These verses (Gita 5.10–12) are part of that answer, and they show how a person can act and still remain free of bondage.

The verses in order

Verse 3.30: Five things, two to do and three to leave

This verse holds two things to do and three things to leave. The two to do are these: hand over all actions to the Lord, and rest the mind within, on the self. The three to leave are: expectation, meaning the hope about the result; the sense of "mine"; and fever, meaning the restlessness of the mind.

To hand over means to do the work with the whole mind and then take your claim off it. Offering is not a ritual. It is an inner act.

To rest the mind within means that the work comes not from the surface of anxiety but from a steady place inside. Praise and criticism touch such a person less.

The three things to leave are tied together. Expectation looks at the fruit. The sense of "mine" makes both the action and the fruit one's own. And fever rises when that "own" seems to be in danger. So when one loosens, the other two begin to loosen as well.

The verse ends with "fight". It was said to Arjuna in his own situation, where his body trembled and his mouth was dry (Gita 1.29). The fever was his own. The verse does not tell us which work to do. It tells us in what inner manner to do the work that has to be done. It does not give anyone the right to justify any action at all.

Three claims we make on our work

The first claim is "I did it". Its result is pride in success and self-reproach in failure.

The second claim is "this is mine". Because of it, every criticism feels like an attack on oneself.

The third claim is "the result must come the way I want". Because of it there is worry before the work, and a rise or a fall after it.

The "fever" of the verse is the burning that comes when the third claim looks threatened. Offering hands over all three claims together. Then the fever does not have to be put out separately.

Verses 3.31 and 3.32: Faith and fault-finding

Verse 3.31 says that those who follow this teaching always, with faith and without fault-finding, are freed from the bond of action as well (Gita 3.31). Notice the word "as well". It means that even those who have not understood the whole secret, but walk with trust, are freed. Walking does not wait for full understanding.

Verse 3.32 says that those who find fault and do not follow are without discernment and are lost (Gita 3.32). Do not read this as a threat. Two things are joined here: finding fault and not following. Arjuna asks questions through the whole of the Gita, and asking with humility is a way of learning (Gita 4.34). The cost falls on the one who rejects without trying, because his power to judge itself grows dim.

Verse 5.10: The lotus leaf

A person who does his work after offering it to the Supreme, and who has given up attachment, is not stained by it even while acting. He is like a lotus leaf that stays dry in the water.

Two conditions stand together here: offering, and the loosening of attachment. If attachment stays, the offering is only a ritual. And without offering, non-attachment turns dry.

The verses around it make this clearer. Action without the spirit of sacrifice binds (Gita 3.9). One who has given up attachment to the fruit and does not lean on outside support does nothing even while engaged in action (Gita 4.20). And the karma yogi is not stained even while acting (Gita 5.7).

Verse 5.11: What action is for

The karma yogis act with body, mind, intellect and senses, giving up attachment, for the purification of the self. So the whole person is in the work. Offering is no excuse for half-hearted work.

The purpose also changes here. It is no longer only the outer result. The inner cleansing is also the aim. The eighteenth chapter likewise says that sacrifice, giving and austerity purify even the thoughtful (Gita 18.5). Every piece of work makes the mind a little cleaner or a little dirtier. The spirit of offering turns it towards cleaning.

Verse 5.12: Peace from giving up the fruit

The one who is steady in yoga gives up the fruit of action and reaches lasting peace. The one who is not steady, driven by desire, clings to the fruit and is bound. Both work. The difference is that the mind of the one is not tied to the fruit, and the mind of the other is.

Notice the word "lasting". This is not the relief that comes when the work is finished. It is the peace that stays even in the middle of the work, because its root is not in the fruit.

The second chapter can be read with it. It says that the one who lives without longing, without the sense of "mine" and without ego reaches peace (Gita 2.71). These are the same three marks that were asked for in verse 3.30. And the twelfth chapter says that peace comes straight after renunciation (Gita 12.12).

If full offering is not possible

The Gita knows that most people do not begin with full offering. In the twelfth chapter it gives a ladder (Gita 12.10–11). The first way is to do all work for the Lord. If that is hard, the second way is to keep the mind and senses under control and at least give up the fruit of action. And the next verse says that giving up the fruit of action is above meditation, and that peace follows straight after it (Gita 12.12).

So one can begin from where one stands. A person who does not yet feel "handing over to God" as his own can say this much: "The result is not mine to hold." Even that is a first step in the right direction. The feeling grows deeper with practice.

Other places in the Gita

Several more supports for the same teaching are found in the Gita.

The verse of the second chapter says that the right is to the work and not to its fruit (Gita 2.47). That is the ground of "no expectation".

In the ninth chapter it is said that whatever you do, do it in the spirit of offering, and the bonds of good and bad results are cut (Gita 9.27–28). A separate piece, A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water, takes that up.

The ladder of the twelfth chapter shows that one may begin from the lower step (Gita 12.10–11).

The eighteenth chapter speaks of worship through one's own natural work (Gita 18.46), and a separate piece, One's Own Duty, takes that up.

There it is also said that a person who acts while taking refuge in the Lord reaches the highest state, and that one should hand over all actions in the mind and hold the Lord as the supreme goal (Gita 18.56–57). Separate pieces, Freedom Through Action and The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose, take that up.

Without offering and with offering

At the start of the work, without offering the mind says: this must succeed. With offering the mind says: this is my part, and I will complete it.

During the work, without offering worry keeps breaking in. With offering the attention stays on the work.

When the result comes, without offering a person swells in victory and breaks in defeat. With offering both are taken calmly.

And afterwards, without offering the mind keeps adding up the account again and again. With offering the mind is light and ready for the next work.

Five common misunderstandings

The first misunderstanding is: I have offered it, so I can relax now. That is not so. Action is done with body, mind and intellect, all three (Gita 5.11), and yoga itself means skill in action (Gita 2.50).

The second is: offering means no longer caring. What goes is expectation and restlessness, not care.

The third is: offering means the result will be good. The Gita makes no such promise (Gita 2.47). What it gives is freedom from bondage and peace.

The fourth is: offering is only for worship and ritual. That is not so. Whatever you do, eat or give can be offered (Gita 9.27–28).

The fifth is: faith means not asking questions. That is not so. Arjuna asks, and asking is part of learning (Gita 4.34). What is to be given up is the fault-finding that refuses to follow.

When the work itself has gone wrong

When work goes wrong, three wrong responses are common.

The first is to brush it aside by saying: everything is in His hands, what can I do? This is a misuse of offering, because offering asks for skill (Gita 2.50).

The second is to blame oneself, as in "I spoil everything". This is the same claim of being the doer, only turned the other way.

The third is to pretend that nothing happened. Outer silence is not peace but pretence (Gita 3.6).

The right response is this: admit the mistake, mend it, and then hand over the result of the next work. Feel the regret, but do not drown in it. And remember that offering is not something done once. It is a practice that is returned to again and again.

The practice that the verses build

The verses build a simple order. Before beginning, name the work and hand it to the Lord (Gita 3.30). During the work, give it the whole body, mind and intellect (Gita 5.11). Where restlessness rises, notice which expectation or which "mine" is holding on. After the work, loosen the grip on the fruit (Gita 5.12). And when the mind goes back to counting, gently return to the next work.

Questions people ask

Why does "fight" appear in a teaching about work? The teaching was given to Arjuna about his own duty. The message is about the inner manner, and it does not make any work right. That is why it is necessary to recognise action, wrong action and non-action, all three (Gita 4.17).

Does faith mean I should not ask questions? No. In the Gita learning comes through bowing, asking and serving (Gita 4.34). What is set aside is fault-finding (Gita 3.31).

What is the difference between handing over (Gita 3.30) and the lotus leaf (Gita 5.10)? The first tells what to do: hand over and let go. The second tells the result: to remain untouched even while acting. One is the practice, the other is its fruit.

How are purification and peace related? Purification is the inner work, the lessening of attachment and dirt. Peace is the experience of it. The first is the cause and the second is the result.

If the fruit is not mine, why try for a good one? The effort does not lessen, the grip is what is let go. Yoga means skill in action (Gita 2.50), which means aiming well. What is to be given up is the belief that the result will be decided by my claim.

Explain it in thirty seconds

The mind after work runs ahead of the result. The Gita's cure is not to give up the work but to hand it over: do it with the whole mind, and let go of expectation, "mine" and restlessness (Gita 3.30). We make three claims on our work: "I did it", "this is mine", and "the result should go my way". Offering hands over all three. Such work, like a lotus leaf, leaves no stain (Gita 5.10), is done with body, mind and intellect and purifies the self (Gita 5.11), and gives the mind a peace that lasts even in the middle of the work (Gita 5.12). If full offering does not come, begin by at least giving up the fruit (Gita 12.11).