Fulfil your duties
Published:
Geeta Verse 2.45
Sanskrit:
| trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna | |
| nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣema ātmavān |
Translation:
The Vedas deal primarily with the three modes of material nature (sattva, rajas, and tamas). O Arjuna, transcend these modes. Be free from all dualities and anxieties for gain and preservation, and be established in the self.
Geeta Verse 2.46
Sanskrit:
| yāvān artha udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake | |
| tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ |
Translation:
For a person who has realized the self, the Vedas are of as much use as a small reservoir of water when there is a flood everywhere.
Geeta Verse 2.47
Sanskrit:
| karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana | |
| mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stvakarmaṇi |
Translation:
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Explanation:
2.45: Krishna advises Arjuna to rise above the material modes (gunas) and dualities of pleasure and pain, focusing instead on spiritual wisdom and stability.
2.46: A self-realized soul, who understands the essence of the Vedas, transcends their rituals as they have already achieved their ultimate goal.
2.47: The famous verse emphasizes detachment from the results of one’s actions, highlighting the importance of duty for its own sake, not for the rewards it might bring.