कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥२- ४७॥
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥२- ४७॥
karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana ।
mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo'stvakarmaṇi ॥2- 47॥
Whenever in action, your responsibility is not in the results, nor to be the motive for the results of action, nor should your attachment be in inaction!
Word-for-word translations
karmaṇi (neuter, locative, singular) = in action
eva (indeclinable) = (emphatic particle, emphasizing preceding word)
adhikāras (masculine, nominative, singular) = responsibility
te (pronoun, 2nd person, genitive, singular) = your
mā (adverb) (indeclinable) = not
phaleṣu (neuter, locative, plural) = in the results
kadācana (indefinite article) (indeclinable) = whenever
mā (adverb) (indeclinable) = not
karmaphalahetus (karma + phala + hetus) (compound) (masculine, nominative, singular) = motive of the results of actions
bhūs (aorist, imperative, 3rd person, singular) = to be!
mā (adverb) (indeclinable) = not
te (pronoun, 2nd person, genitive, singular) = your
saṅgas (masculine, nominative, singular) = attachment
astu (imperative, 3rd person, singular) = it should be!
akarmaṇi (neuter, locative, singular) = in inaction
Commentary
"Adhikāras" is one of those abstract words that conveys a sense of having the duty or responsibility to supervise over something or someone, so the first part of this verse is saying that one does not have the duty to supervise over the fruits of their action.
The one issue I take with the previous translations is the first part of the verse. Most previous translations interpret the first part of the verse like this: "Your concern should be with action and never with the action's fruits". Almost all translation leave out the word "kadācana", which means "whenever". If one tries to fit in "kadācana" in the previous translations, the first part of the verse does not work or it would be clunky, at the least. My translation uses "kadācana" in a smooth manner.
"Bhūs" is an archaic aorist imperative, 3rd person, singular verb conjunction of the verb "bhū". This was a bugger to find. It is coupled with the prohibitive particle "mā" to make a negative imperative or injunctive.
The one issue I take with the previous translations is the first part of the verse. Most previous translations interpret the first part of the verse like this: "Your concern should be with action and never with the action's fruits". Almost all translation leave out the word "kadācana", which means "whenever". If one tries to fit in "kadācana" in the previous translations, the first part of the verse does not work or it would be clunky, at the least. My translation uses "kadācana" in a smooth manner.
"Bhūs" is an archaic aorist imperative, 3rd person, singular verb conjunction of the verb "bhū". This was a bugger to find. It is coupled with the prohibitive particle "mā" to make a negative imperative or injunctive.
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