A single line from the Bhagavad Gītā can travel far from the conversation in which it appears. Verse 2.47 is frequently reduced to “do your duty and forget the result”, but that shorthand leaves important words and context out of view. Start with the Sanskrit, then read the verses around it.
Read the Whole Verse
Bhagavad Gītā 2.47 reads: “karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana / mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi”. The verse addresses one’s claim or scope in relation to action and its fruits; it also warns against making those fruits the sole motive and against attachment to inaction. Translating adhikāra simply as “right” is familiar, but it can conceal the word’s wider range.
The Next Verse Matters
The next verse, 2.48, asks Arjuna to act established in yoga, relinquishing attachment and remaining even-minded in success and failure. That continuation gives the instruction a practical shape: act, but do not let success or failure determine your steadiness. It is not a claim that consequences do not exist.
What The Verse Does Not Say
The closing phrase of 2.47 is significant: “mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi” cautions against attachment to non-action. Read beside it, the verse does not recommend passivity or a refusal to consider what an action may cause. A sound interpretation begins with the Sanskrit, follows the argument into 2.48, and distinguishes the text from a slogan that asks readers simply not to care.