"Karmanye vadhikaraste maa phaleshu kadachana Maa karmaphala heturbhoor maa te sangostvakarmani" Thus has Sri Krishna said in Chapter 2, Shloka 47 of the song divine, "Srimad Bhagavad Gita". A literal translation is as follows: "You have a right to perform the prescribed work, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause for the results of your activities, and never be attached to inaction." 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 … [Read more...]
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