Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।।
karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi
also searched as "karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana"
Translation
You have the right to work alone, but not to the fruits of it. Do not be driven by the results of your work, nor have attachment to inaction.
Vāṇi's rendering
Do the work. The result was never yours to carry.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कर्मणिkarmaṇi | in action, in the work itself |
| एवeva | only, alone |
| अधिकारःadhikāraḥ | right, rightful claim |
| तेte | yours |
| माmā | never |
| फलेषुphaleṣu | in the fruits, in the results |
| कदाचनkadācana | at any time whatsoever |
| माmā | do not |
| कर्म-फल-हेतुःkarma-phala-hetuḥ | one whose motive is the fruit of action |
| भूःbhūḥ | become, be |
| माmā | nor |
| तेte | your |
| सङ्गःsaṅgaḥ | clinging, attachment |
| अस्तुastu | let there be (sandhi: saṅgo ’stu) |
| अकर्मणिakarmaṇi | in inaction, in not-doing |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 47 mean?
It gives you the work and takes away the scoreboard. Your claim reaches as far as the doing and no further; the fruit belongs to the field of causes you did not build. And the escape route is shut in the same breath — do not answer this by refusing to act. Act, fully, without owning the outcome.
What does karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana mean?
Karmaṇi eva adhikāraḥ te — in action alone is your right. Mā phaleṣu kadācana — never in the fruits, not once, not ever. Kadācana is absolute; Krishna leaves no exception for the outcomes you think you deserve. The doing is yours. The result was never in your hands to begin with.
Does this verse mean I should not care about results at all?
Care about them as a craftsman cares — enough to aim well, not enough to be crushed. Krishna forbids being hetu, the one driven by the fruit, not the one who works skilfully toward it. What he removes is the anxious ownership, the nightly recount of what you are owed.
Why does Krishna warn against attachment to inaction here?
Because Arjuna is about to try it. Withdrawal wears the robes of wisdom, and giving up looks very like letting go. Krishna names the difference. Renouncing the fruit is an inner act; renouncing the work is a hiding place. The bow stays in your hand.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Count the clauses. There are four, and most people quote one. The right to act, yes. No claim on the fruit, yes. Then two warnings that get skipped: do not make yourself the cause of results, and do not fall in love with not-acting. Arjuna's temptation was never laziness. It was the dignified version — laying down the bow and calling it peace. Krishna closes that exit before Arjuna can reach it. Detachment from fruit is not detachment from work. You still show up tomorrow, still do it well, still care how it is done. You simply stop auditing the ledger.