The Gita’s precept: Right to action, not to the fruit

 

 

“Karmanye vadhikaraste maa phaleshu kadachana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thus has Sri Krishna said in Chapter 2, Shloka 47 of the song divine, “Srimad Bhagavad Gita“.

 

 

A literal translation is as follows:

 

 

 

This is a very popular shloka oft repeated and quoted by people in various contexts.

 

 

This teaching which Lord Krishna gave Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra is applicable to all of us in the battlefield of life. Very often, instead of concentrating on our work, we worry about how the work will turn out. This worry turns out be a distraction and affects the outcome. Sometimes we also feel that inspite of the work we put in, we may not achieve the required result. So instead of taking that risk, we prefer to skip the work itself to avoid disappointment.

 

 

 

Many in the West as well as people in India have reviled this principle as a fatalistic one, which preaches that one should have an attitude of resignation and passivity and let whatever happen, happen. This attitude, they say will lead to demotivation, for people work with an objective and will not be ready to put in effort without the expectation of a reward. Nothing is farther from the truth. This shloka exhorts us to work to the best of our ability, irrespective of the outcome. It lays stress on the work itself, the fruit of the work is just a by-product. It asks us not worry whether the action will succeed or fail. It also tells us never to indulge in inaction.

 

 

Let us take a very simple example to understand this concept-

 

 

A person who is very badly in need of a job has applied for one and got a call for an interview. He cannot afford to fail. He will of course start preparing for it in all seriousness. But in his mind will be the deep-rooted fear of failure. This fear will affect his preparation. This fear may also cause nervousness at the time of the interview due to which he may perform badly. He can try to overcome this problem, by telling himself firmly that he will not be afraid , that it his responsibility to give the interview to the best of his ability without worrying about the result. Preparation and performance are his duties. The outcome is beyond his realm. After all, his performance is not the only decisive factor. How the others perform, the nature and mood of the members of the interview panel, the requisites of the job and probably many other factors will decide who gets the job. Whether he clears the interview or not, he will be satisfied that he has done his best.

 

 

What a beautiful precept! Many have misunderstood this concept. They ask- What is the purpose of working if you have no right to the fruit of your work? Who will work without the incentive of success? They have wrongly assumed that Hindu philosophy does not permit Indians to be an ambitious and successful people, and that as a result they are not aggressive enough to carry on any work to its logical end .They also put forth the erroneous argument that since there is no worry about the outcome , the quality of work will suffer. They have not understood the concept and also have not taken into consideration that inaction is frowned upon.

 

 

For the individualistic and materialistic West, the result, victory or success is all that matters. In fact, it matters so much that for them the end justifies the means however dubious. Contrast this to the traditional Indian way which attaches the greatest importance to right action.

 

 

Let us adapt Krishna’s teaching in our day-to-day life, perform our duties in a calm and composed manner, and not worry about how the work we perform will turn out. Let us not get tempted into inaction. Let us accept our failures just as we accept our success, both are faces of the same coin.

 

 

Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Basavanagudi, Bangalore)