कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||४७||
karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana 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.
Interpretation
The most quoted verse of the Bhagavad Gita — the heart of the teaching of Nishkama Karma (desireless action). Four instructions in one verse: (1) You have the right to act. (2) You have no right to the fruits — they are not yours to claim. (3) Do not consider yourself the ultimate cause of the results (the divine will, karma, and countless other factors determine outcomes). (4) Do not use the principle of non-attachment as an excuse for inaction. This is not passive fatalism — it is the highest form of engaged action: complete commitment to the deed, total release of the result.