Verse 2.47

Its a popular verse and often misinterpreted and misunderstood by many.

In India for this verse commonly people say " Karam kar aur pal ki iccha mat kar" .....literally meaning "do your work and don't desire a result".

But what this verse really means is that

•You have the right to work only
•Never to fruits of actions
•Let not fruits of actions motivate you to work
•Let not your attachment be to inaction

If one could imbibe just this verse it will be like living the Gita principles..because:

1. It tells you to do your duty. Must do ones duty in what ever place & role we are in 
2. Reminds you that you have no control on the result...profound knowledge. We always want to manage the result
3. It is saying that results should not motivate your action. Action is your duty.
4. Also it says don't be attracted to inaction, or distracted away from your duty

To understand the verse ...it is in a way Sankhya Yoga..profound, intellectual stuff
To do what it says..... is pure Karam Yoga
To do it and be un attached and unaffected is Dhyan Yoga
To believe in it.... faith..is Bhakti Yoga

Chap 1 is about context setting and Arjuna being deluded - Arjun Vishaad

In Chap 2 Krishna shares the knowledge and is called Sankhya Yog

This shloka explains  :

By doing ones duty as directed by God with focus and commitment , in the given role is reaching God thru KY...so Communion thru Action Chap 3

Doing ones duties with the awareness that my control is only on my action choices and not on result , and that I must do my duties with full integrity is what chap 4 ( Yoga of Knowledge in action) speaks about.

Chap 5  talk about communion thru renunciation. So if Fruits are not to motivate us , does it imply renounce the fruits. Attachment to fruit will lead to the spiral of desires or anger. Detachment will lead to liberation.

Chap 6 talks about meditation and discipline etc . That is Dhyan Yoga. If one can remember this shloka for all our action that would be complete meditation.

Chap 7 -12 progress to speak about the Lord, his incomprehensible nature, God in all and all in God, manifestations of God and the un manifest,  and Gods creations, and maya ...and   builds up to Bhakti Yoga in chap 12.  Unless one has the faith / shraddha  in the word of God , one can't be living this shloka in all our actions.

Chap 13 shares about Knower & Known, then Chap 14 about Gunas, and chap 15 about Purushottam Yoga , Chap 16 about the Divine & Demonic qualities, and Chap 17 tells us the 3 fold path for faith, food, yagna, tapas & charity. And the culminating Chap 18, talks about moksha.

Only someone

• with faith, 
• with ability to channel the gunas 
• having divine qualities 
• aware of the 3 fold paths 
• knowing God is eternal, everywhere, the cause of the world, but not the world 
• with focus 

will be able to live up to this shlok and attain liberation

To be able to live this verse completely, one would need to be living the Gita pretty much.

Action & Gita

Action we have to do ...it is not a choice....there is no such thing as inaction...what action we choose is a choice and what intention and attitude we choose is a choice

Each action will have a result...even just sitting around means muscles will act & react in a way and heat & cold will affect teh body.

Action will have some result is the law. And there are only 4 possible outcomes

• as expected
• better than expected
• worse than expected
• the un expected

We can do it 

• Happily 
• As a duty with a straight face 
• Happily as a duty
• Duty as a chore 
• Duty submitted to God 

Now for doing an action we need ( 18.14)

• Base / Place : Where / Body
• Doer / Person : By whom 
• Tools (sense organs, actions organs, intellect, ego & mind) BMI or external : By medium 
• Effort : Getting Thought (from mind) into action by various functions using sense & action organs 
• Devyam : X Factor / Grace / Wow factor/ Prarabhd / Conciousness

And teh most important , well known and often misunderstood verse 2.47 , which basically says...

•Right to work only
•Never to fruits of actions
•Let not fruits of actions motivate you to work
•Let not your attachment be to inaction ( inaction means action that is not your duty)

Sour Grapes story & Gita

We all have heard the story of the Fox and the sour grapes.

Is that Tyag or Renunciation? - giving up what you don't even have cannot be renouncing???

Or is it giving up action as result not as expected. Did the fox do his best? How did he decide they are sour without tasting?

Or was the Fox limiting himself that he cannot do it...did he ask God to help?

We can analyse any story or situation and that will probably make us critics. Or we can look for learnings.

1. Fox was probably being practical. And if he had to feed his kids found alternate food. THIS IS NOT RENOUNCING

2. Yes he should not have tagged them as sour without reason. DO NOT BE JUDGEMENTAL

3. And if you look at true nature, do Fox usually eat grapes? fruits is one of the many things they eat. Or was he just playing ?

Also remember the sour grapes story was written by a literate man/woman not the Fox. It is not the word from God.