कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
कर्तव्यकर्म करनेमें ही तेरा अधिकार है, फलोंमें कभी नहीं । अतः तू कर्मफलका हेतु भी मत बन और तेरी अकर्मण्यतामें भी आसक्ति न हो ॥
English
You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not become the cause of the result, and do not cling to inaction.
What this verse means
You control your action, not what it produces. Do your duty without chasing the reward or getting attached to doing nothing.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna is frozen and Krishna begins rebuilding his sense of duty. Here Krishna draws the first hard line: act because it is yours to do, not because you can own what comes after.
Why this verse still matters
You send the apology text after midnight, then keep rereading it for the perfect reply. This verse cuts that loop: speak, act, and stop trying to control the response.
The takeaway
There is relief in giving your full effort without carrying the burden of the result.
Word-by-word translation
कर्मणि (in action) / एव (only) / अधिकारः (right) / ते (your) / मा (not) / फलेषु (in fruits) / कदाचन (at any time) / मा (not) / कर्मफलहेतुः (cause of the fruit of action) / भूः (become) / मा (not) / ते (your) / सङ्गः (attachment) / अस्तु (let there be) / अकर्मणि (in inaction)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga — The Yoga of Knowledge, which contains 72 verses.
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), attachment (20 verses), nishkama (14 verses)