Verse 2.47

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.47:

कर्मण्य् एवाधिकारस् ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्म-फल-हेतुर् भूर् मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्व् अकर्मणि ॥ ४७ ॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana |
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo'stv akarmaṇi || 47 ||

karmaṇi–your prescribed duty; eva–certainly; adhikāraḥ–a right; te–your; mā–never; phaleṣu–to the fruit (of work); kadācana–at any time; mā–not; karma-phala–towards the results of work; hetuḥ–cause; bhūḥ–be; mā–not; te–you; saṅgaḥ–attachment; astu–there must be; akarmaṇi–not accomplishing prescribed duties.

You are only eligible to perform your prescribed work, but you have no right to the fruit of your action. You should not consider yourself to be the cause of the result of your actions, nor should you become attached to neglecting your duties.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Śrī Bhagavān is the instructor of jñāna-yoga, the path of spiritual advancement through transcendental knowledge; bhakti-yoga, the path of loving devotion; and karma-yoga, the path of spiritual advancement where the fruit of one’s pious action is offered to the Lord. So far, He has directed His instructions about jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga to His dear friend Arjuna. Now, having considered Arjuna’s ineligibility to perform these two processes, He explains selfless action, or niṣkāma-karma-yoga, in two verses, the first beginning with karmaṇi.

By the words mā phaleṣu, Kṛṣṇa intends to say that those who desire the fruit of their actions have extremely impure hearts. “Your heart, however, is almost pure. I know this, and that is why I am speaking in this way.” If one points out that any action one performs will bear fruit, Śrī Bhagavān responds “mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ–a person becomes the cause of the fruit of action only when he acts with a desire for it. You should not act like that. I bless you to not fall into this category.” Akarma means ‘neglecting prescribed duties’ and vikarma means ‘performing sinful activities’. “You should not become attached to either of these. Rather, you should despise them. I again bless you that you will be able to do this.”

In the Gītā (3.2), Arjuna says, “vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me…–my intelligence is bewildered by Your apparently ambiguous instructions.” From this it should be understood that the previous statements in this chapter are not entirely consistent with later statements. But here, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s inner feelings towards Arjuna are worth considering. “Just as I have become your subordinate by acting as your chariot driver, similarly you should also become a follower of My order.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Through Arjuna, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction on selfless action offered to the Supreme Lord for those who do not have the eligibility to follow the paths of jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.43) it is stated “karmākarma vikarmeti veda-vādo na laukikaḥ–an understanding of action (karma), non-performance of prescribed religious duties within the varṇāśrama system (akarma), and sinful action (vikarma) can only come from the Vedic literature, not from the words of mundane persons.”

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Kṛṣṇa as saying, “There are three types of karma to consider: karma, akarma and vikarma. Of these, vikarma (engaging in sinful activities) and akarma (non-performance of prescribed religious duties within the varṇāśrama system) are extremely inauspicious. You should not desire them. Give up vikarma and akarma and carefully follow the path of karma. Karma is of three types: daily duties (nitya-karma), occasional duties (naimittika-karma) and fruitive activities (kāmya-karma). Of these three, the last is most inauspicious. Those who perform kāmya-karma become the cause of the fruit of their activities, so it is for your benefit that I am telling you to not adopt this method of action, because if you do, you will become the cause of the results of your actions. You have the right to perform your prescribed duties, but you do not have the right to the fruits of any action. It is acceptable for those who take shelter of yoga to perform nitya-karma and naimittika-karma, solely in order to maintain their lives.”